Press releases

Lightweight design is essential for sustainable mobility. Drive shafts made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) with a thermosetting matrix, for example, can reduce climate-damaging emissions. Nevertheless, the lightweight design and resource-saving potential of these shafts has not been completely realized yet. Together with partners, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP are developing a new, very lightweight drive and side shaft system for cars and trucks whose matrix consists of thermoplastic materials. These materials can be recycled and have an additional weight advantage.

In the RUBIO project, 18 partners are turning the vision of a sustainable plastics industry into reality. Their goal is to use regionally available plant residues to create versatile, sustainable products that are recyclable and biodegradable. As part of the project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP is developing new types of the bioplastic polybutylene succinate (PBS) so that it can be used for significantly more applications. Together with the company POLIFILM EXTRUSION GmbH, the Fraunhofer IAP has developed an initial commercial product.

Counterfeits of high-quality products such as medicines, cosmetics, watches, or food and beverages circulate in large numbers, especially in online retail. Consumers barely have a chance to verify the authenticity of a product. In the SmartID project, scientists at Fraunhofer are now developing a counterfeit-proof barcode system for authenticity verification simply by using a smartphone without accessing a database. The team is presenting a SmartID demonstrator for the first time at the Interpack 2023 trade fair for packaging in Düsseldorf. Interpack 2023 | May 4-10 2023 | Düsseldorf | Hall 4, Booth C54 (VDMA-booth)

In the "project of the century" ideas competition by the Werner Siemens Foundation (WSS), the ChemSysCon project team was awarded one million Swiss francs (1.017 million euros). The aim of the funding is to develop and establish novel technologies for sustainable resource use. In the ChemSysCon project, scientists from Freie Universität Berlin, the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP are developing new chemical systems for the conversion of sustainable resources. At the Fraunhofer IAP, lignin - a by-product from the pulp industry - is being converted so that it can be used as a material.

Clinically effective, custom-made, discreet and comfortable - the demands on aligners for the therapy of malocclusions are high. This also applies to the material of these orthodontic splints. A team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam, Germany, in cooperation with the University Hospital in Düsseldorf, Germany, has now developed a highly innovative material that enables completely new treatment concepts and reduces costs. The scientists focused on polymers with shape memory properties.

Making perovskite solar cells more sustainable, efficient and durable – these are the goals pursued by 13 European partners in the project SUNREY. The project aims to further push the development of highly-efficient solar cells based on non-critical raw materials and to strengthen the innovation potential of the European industry. SUNREY is funded by the European Union’s research and innovation program Horizon Europe within the framework of the Green Deal Initiative with 4.25 Million Euro. The three-year project started on November 1, 2022, and is coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam, Germany.

Quantum materials for electroluminescent QD-LED displays, fast inline monitoring for thin film printing or stretchable printed electrodes. Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in the Potsdam Science Park demonstrate what is already technologically possible in the field of printed electronics and present current projects at LOPEC 2023 in Munich from March 1 to 2 (ICM, booth FO.16). LOPEC is the leading trade fair and the most important congress for printed electronics.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI and the Fraunhofer IAP, in collaboration with industrial partners, have achieved initial success in the development of bio-based flame retardants in bioplastics. In the future, it could therefore be possible to utilize plastics in electronics and electrical engineering that consist of 100 percent bio-based materials. Within the framework of the research project, processing was tested by means of compounding, injection molding and additive manufacturing.

Climate-friendly processes for energy generation, conversion and storage are being developed by researchers at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft together with more than 70 partners from science, industry and society in the joint project SpreeTec neXt. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

On December 12, Horst Weller, professor of physical chemistry at the University of Hamburg and head of the Center for Applied Nanotechnology (CAN) research division at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP, retired. He is considered one of the world's most influential scientific minds in the field of chemistry. He also made a significant contribution to the University of Hamburg being able to acquire the title of Excellence.