EU-funded researchers have developed a fresh 'benign-by-design' approach to balancing the commercial and societal benefits of nanomaterial innovations and their environmental impacts, which are notoriously difficult to pinpoint.
EU-funded researchers and partners are pushing the boundaries of the laws of physics, developing nanocomposite materials and nanoelectronic circuits to greatly improve energy, thermal and computing performance. This could make smartphones and other electronics more efficient and boost the potential of solar power.
Pioneering EU-funded research on new solid-state batteries is paving the way for tiny yet powerful batteries for safer and better space applications. Industry partners are advancing with plans to commercialise the thin-film energy-storage technologies and processes at the heart of the project.
More efficient, longer-lasting machine and vehicle components, improved medical implants and novel fluid control technologies are just a few of the potential applications emerging from an EU-funded project inspired by the unique ways in which the skins of some animals interact with water.
An EU-funded project is developing a super-resolution microscope small enough to fit on to a computer chip that can be used to see changes in living cells in real time. Potential applications include a wide range of science and research fields, as well as consumer goods, with the innovation potential to strengthen European industry.
EU-funded researchers are developing new liquid magnetic materials that convert waste heat into electricity. The long-term aim for these materials, which are both affordable and environmentally friendly, is to use them to harness waste thermal energy to reduce energy consumption and help tackle the global energy crisis.
With the growing use of synthetic nanoparticles in consumer and industrial products, EU-funded researchers are examining how they affect organisms including plants, worms and bivalves, laying the foundations for an integrated approach to environmental nano-safety.
EU-funded researchers are developing tools to analyse and predict the potential toxicity of nanomaterials, addressing scientific, environmental and public health concerns about exposure to these novel tiny particles found in cosmetics and other products.
An EU-funded researcher has advanced the science of self-assembling materials by investigating the behaviours of a variety of metallopolymers. The research could potentially feed into applications such as better light-emitting devices, energy storage, data storage, sensors and solar cells - boosting the EU's competitiveness.
Bendable, rollable, scrunchable - touch screen technology is on the move, and the scope for flexibility is just one of the possibilities that has emerged. With its many exciting properties, graphene is anticipated as a game changer for this shift. An EU-funded network is training a group of experts keen to harness this potential.
