Fraunhofer IPMS develops new multi-sensor system for water analysis

New standards in the assessment of water quality

22-Mar-2024 - With groundbreaking developments in the field of chemical sensor technology, the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS is setting new standards in the assessment of water quality for humans and the environment. In addition to key parameters such as conductivity and pH, nutrients ...

Novel development for pH measurement

Innovation in sensor technology opens up new possibilities for more precise, more efficient data acquisition in the field of chemical analysis

01-Mar-2024 - Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS announces a significant advance in chemical and biochemical analysis. The team led by Dr. Olaf R. Hild, Head of the Chemical Sensor Technology Business Unit, has successfully developed a pioneering sensing layer for chip-based pH measurement has ...

Award for innovation in the detection of PFAS compounds

Thuringian startup and Fraunhofer Institute receive Lothar Späth Award

30-Nov-2023 - The use of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) has not only been controversial for a long time, but is also facing a possible EU-wide ban. The associated challenges for manufacturers, who will have to rely on extensive testing of chemicals in the future, are complex. In a ...

Virtual lab calculates optimal lubricant composition

Extending lubricant lifespan: Sensor system developed for real-time monitoring

06-Sep-2023 - Mechanical bearings and gearboxes — like those used in electric vehicles and wind farms — are often treated with lubricants to avoid friction and wear. However, these components might be under voltage. This would impair the effectiveness of the lubricants to such a degree that the tribological ...

Tracking down polluters

04-Sep-2019 - Proving criminal machinations can be difficult – for instance when those involved covertly discharge hazardous wastewater into sewers. A new sensor system developed by Fraunhofer researchers and their partners could soon help safety agencies establish wrongdoing: placed in a sewage canal, it ...

Pocket-size food scanner

General-use, cost-effective scanning technology that can be easily adapted

07-Jan-2019 - According to a study by the environmental organization WWF Germany, ten million metric tons of food are thrown in the garbage every year in Germany despite still being edible. A mobile food scanner will allow consumers and supermarket operators in the future to test whether food items have gone ...

Sensor the size of a nitrogen atom investigates hard drives

04-Jan-2018 - Integrated circuitry is becoming increasingly complex. These days a Pentium processor contains some 30 million transistors. And the magnetic structures found in hard drives measure just 10 to 20 nanometers across – less than a flu virus at 80 to 120 nanometers in diameter. Dimensions are rapidly ...

How to combat radiological weapons

Safety assistance system warns of dirty bombs

04-Sep-2017 - The threat of terrorism in Europe has been on the rise in recent years, with experts and politicians particularly worried that terrorists might make use of dirty bombs. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a new system that will be able to detect possible carriers of radioactive substances, even ...

Ultrasensitive photon hunter

12-Nov-2012 - Fast and ultrasensitive optical systems are gaining increasing significance and are being used in a diverse range of applications, for example, in imaging procedures in the fields of medicine and biology, in astronomy and in safety engineering for the automotive industry. Frequently the challenge ...

UV-transparent coating for image sensors

14-Feb-2011 - Image sensors as used in cell phones are partially color-blind. This is because of their coating, which prevents UV light from passing through. CMOS chips have as a result not been suitable for spectroscopy up to now. A new production process makes the coating transparent – and the sensors ...