Radar satellites supply the data used to map sea level and ocean currents. However, up until now the radar’s “eyes” have been blind where the oceans are covered by ice. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now developed a new analysis method to solve this problem. The melting of the polar ice […]
Measurement Chip Detects Legionella
In an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, finding the exact source as quickly as possible is essential to preventing further infections. To date, a standard analysis takes days. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich have now developed a rapid test that achieves the same result in about 35 minutes. Legionella are rod-shaped bacteria that can cause […]
Chemical Hot Spots
Chemistry live: Using a scanning tunneling microscope, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) were able for the very first time to witness in detail the activity of catalysts during an electro-chemical reaction. The measurements show how the surface structure of the catalysts influences their activity. The new analysis method can now be used […]
Into The Quantum World With A Tennis Racket
Quantum technology is seen as an important future-oriented technology: smaller, faster and with higher performance than conventional electronics. However, exploiting quantum effects is difficult because nature’s smallest building blocks have properties quite distinct from those we know from our everyday world. An international team of researchers has now succeeded in extracting a fault tolerant manipulation […]
Polymer-Coated Silicon Nanosheets — An Alternative to Graphene
Silicon nanosheets are thin, two-dimensional layers with exceptional optoelectronic properties very similar to those of graphene. Albeit, the nanosheets are less stable. Now researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have, for the first time ever, produced a composite material combining silicon nanosheets and a polymer that is both UV-resistant and easy to process. […]
Battery Research Reaching Out To Higher Voltages
For years, small rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have reliably supplied billions of portable devices with energy. But manufacturers of high-energy applications such as electric cars and power storage systems seek for new electrode materials and electrolytes. Michael Metzger, researcher at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has now developed a new battery test cell allowing to […]
A Good Combination: Model And Experiment For A Deeper Look
Doctors performing medical check-ups want a full picture of the patient’s health without using the scalpel. Engineers who want to investigate the stability of a bridge without cutting into it are in the same position. Non-destructive testing methods play a major role in guaranteeing quality and safety, driving substantial interest in refined methodologies. Researchers at […]
Semiconducting Inorganic Double Helix
It is the double helix, with its stable and flexible structure of genetic information, that made life on Earth possible in the first place. Now a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has discovered a double helix structure in an inorganic material. The material comprising tin, iodine and phosphorus is a semiconductor with […]
Clues on the Path to a New Lithium Battery Technology
Rechargeable lithium air batteries are a next-generation technology: Theoretically they might be much lighter and offer better performance than current lithium ion batteries. However, currently they run out of steam after only a few charging cycles. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Forschungszentrum Jülich have now investigated the processes and discovered […]
Molecular Architectures See The Light
Organic photovoltaics bear great potential for large-scale, cost-effective solar power generation. One challenge to be surmounted is the poor ordering of the thin layers on top of the electrodes. Utilizing self-assembly on atomically flat, transparent substrates, a team of scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has engineered ordered monolayers of molecular networks with […]