Materials Science

Working on nanotechnologies in the cleanroom makes her happy. Now Kirsten Moselund runs the newly established Laboratory for Nano and Quantum Technologies at PSI. Here she always has an eye on practical applications: from minute lasers to computer chips, from artificial intelligence to quantum computing. She encourages young women in particular to pursue a career in research and recommends a good work-life balance.

“Printed electronics” is a growing scientific field in which transistors and other electronic components can be printed on any substrate. Empa has become a leading name in this area. The Coating Competence Center uses the latest printing techniques which enable completely new applications. 

Together with researchers from Ulm and Neuchâtel, Empa will soon be studying material samples on the ISS. The material in question are super-hard and corrosion-resistant alloys of palladium, nickel, copper and phosphorus - also known as "metallic glasses". A high-tech company from La Chaux-de-Fonds, which produces materials for the watch industry, is also involved.

Anyone who lives in an old building with wooden floors knows the problem: Even if the neighbors from above glide across the floor with graceful elegance, it sounds as if you were living under a bowling alley. Impact sound is a challenge even for the most modern wooden buildings. Scientists at Empa are now tinkering with a solution.

Researchers at PSI have observed for the first time how tiny magnets in a special layout align themselves solely as a result of temperature changes. This view into processes that take place within so-called artificial spin ice could play an important role in the development of novel high-performance computers. The results were published in the journal Nature Physics.