New method in the fight against forever chemicals

Researchers are for the first time using a technology known as “piezocatalysis”

17-Sep-2024 - Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a new way to break down a dangerous subgroup of PFAS known as PFOS. With the help of nanoparticles and ultrasound, piezocatalysis could offer an effective alternative to existing processes in the future. What do firefighting foam, non-stick cookware, ...

Light amplification accelerates chemical reactions in aerosols

Temporal sequence of photochemical reaction in individual aerosol particles observed with high resolution

21-Apr-2022 - Aerosols in the atmosphere react to incident sunlight. This light is amplified in the interior of the aerosol droplets and particles, accelerating reactions. ETH researchers have now been able to demonstrate and quantify this effect and recommend factoring it into future climate models. Liquid ...

Nanoplastics – an underestimated problem?

Tiny plastic particles in the environment

06-May-2021 - The images leave no one cold: giant vortices of floating plastic trash in the world's oceans with sometimes devastating consequences for their inhabitants – the sobering legacy of our modern lifestyle. Weathering and degradation processes produce countless tiny particles that can now be detected ...

Efficient removal of problem substances

Many wastewater treatment plants do not completely remove chemical substances from wastewater.

21-May-2019 - Microcontaminants place a considerable burden on our water courses, but removing them from wastewater requires considerable technical resources. Now, ETH researchers have developed an approach that allows the efficient removal of these problematic substances. In our everyday lives, we all use a ...

Cooling with light

07-May-2019 - ETH researchers have cooled a nanoparticle to a record low temperature, thanks to a sophisticated experimental set-up that uses scattered laser light for cooling. Until now, no one has ever cooled a nanoparticle to such low temperatures in a photon cage: Dominik Windey and René Reimann – a ...

Nanotechnology and sunlight clear the way for better visibility

07-Mar-2019 - A new coating developed by ETH researchers prevents fogging on transparent surfaces. Rather than using electricity, the coating relies on sunlight to heat the surface. Anyone who skis, wears glasses, uses a camera or drives a car is familiar with the problem: if you come into a humid environment ...

Universal stabilization

Microparticles with a rough, raspberry-like surface stabilise emulsions following a new principle

16-Jun-2017 - Researchers led by Lucio Isa, Professor of Interfaces, Soft Matter and Assembly at ETH Zurich's Department of Materials, have created a new type of silica particle able to stabilise emulsions in a new way. An emulsion is a finely dispersed mixture of two immiscible liquids, constituted by ...

Nanoparticles remain unpredictable

20-Apr-2017 - The way that nanoparticles behave in the environment is extremely complex. There is currently a lack of systematic experimental data to help understand them comprehensively, as ETH environmental scientists have shown in a large overview study. A more standardised approach would help to advance ...

The tiniest color picture ever printed

17-Dec-2015 - Researchers of ETH Zurich and ETH start-up company Scrona achieve a new world record! They have printed a color picture depicting clown fishes around their sea anemone home. This picture is as tiny as the cross-sectional area of a human hair. Scrona Ltd. and the ETH Zurich have been announced ...

Protecting olive oil from counterfeiters

28-Apr-2014 - Who guarantees that expensive olive oil isn't counterfeit or adulterated? An invisible label, developed by ETH researchers, could perform this task. The tag consists of tiny magnetic DNA particles encapsulated in a silica casing and mixed with the oil. Just a few grams of the new substance are ...