news

Why do different measurements of material properties sometimes give different results? A research team led by the TU Vienna has now found an important answer. It is very hard to take a photo of a hummingbird flapping its wings 50 times per second. The exposure time has to be much shorter than the characteristic time scale of the wing beat, otherwise you will only see a colorful blur.

Scientists reveal key steps in the formation of the recycling cen-ters of the cell Autophagy, from the Greek for 'self-eating', is an essential process that isolates and recycles cellular components under conditions of stress or when resources are limited. Cargoes such as misfolded proteins or damaged organelles are captured in a double membrane-bound com-partment called the autophagosome and targeted for degradation.

How can you perforate an atomic layer of material and leave the one underneath intact? Scientists at TU Wien (Vienna) developed a technique for processing surfaces on an atomic scale. Nobody can shoot a pistol bullet through a banana in such a way that the skin is perforated but the banana remains intact.

For a long time, something important has been neglected in electronics: If you want to make electronic components smaller and smaller, you also need the right insulator materials. Ever smaller and ever more compact - this is the direction in which computer chips are developing, driven by industry. This is why so-called 2D materials are considered to be the great hope: they are as thin as a material can possibly be, in extreme cases they consist of only one single layer of atoms.

Magnetism offers new ways to create more powerful and energy-efficient computers, but the realization of magnetic computing on the nanoscale is a challenging task. A critical advancement in the field of ultralow power computation using magnetic waves is reported by a joint team from Kaiserslautern, Jena and Vienna in the journal Nano Letters.

Using an ultra-thin gold layer, scientists at TU Wien (Vienna) succeeded in creating an almost optimal infrared absorber. Possible applications range from astrophysics to virus detection. Infrared detectors play an important role in research: many molecules absorb electromagnetic radiation in the infrared range in a very characteristic way.

Rapidly cooling magnon particles proves a surprisingly effective way to create an elusive quantum state of matter, called a Bose-Einstein condensate. The discovery can help advance quantum physics research and is a step towards the long-term goal of quantum computing at room temperature. An international team of scientists have found an easy way to trigger an unusual state of matter called a Bose-Einstein condensate.

Actually they had been looking for something completely different, but they found a previously unknown quasi-particle: A bound state of two electrons, two holes and light. In physics, there are very different types of particles: Elementary particles are the fundamental building blocks of matter. Other particles, such as atoms, are bound states consisting of several smaller constituents.

By Christoph Pelzl Magnetic materials play important roles in electrical products. These materials are usually manufactured by means of established production techniques and use of rare earth metals. Several research teams at TU Graz are working on alternative, more environmentally friendly production methods.

How can you prevent cracks from forming after painting? TU Wien has recently patented two new measuring processes that show which paint is best. It's a familiar problem for anyone who has renovated a house or flat: no building is a perfectly rigid body. Walls and ceilings can move slightly over time, which often leads to cracks in the paint on the walls.

A new, extremely efficient source of terahertz radiation has been developed at TU Wien (Vienna): Lasers turn air into plasma, thereby producing terahertz rays for many possible applications. Terahertz radiation is used for security checks at airports, for medical examinations and also for quality checks in industry.

For years, a new synthesis method has been developed at TU Wien (Vienna) to unlock the secrets of "strange metals". Now a breakthrough has been achieved. The results have been published in "Science". Superconductors allow electrical current to flow without any resistance - but only below a certain critical temperature.

By Christoph Pelzl Newly discovered properties of magnetically doped topological insulators could significantly accelerate the development of quantum computers. The transmission electron microscope ASTEM, located at Graz University of Technology, played a major role in the success of these discoveries.

By Birgit Baustädter 3D printing is the manufacturing technique of the future. And these are not just empty words: the approach's significance is reflected in numerous examples from a wide variety of disciplines. This article has just been published in our research magazine TU Graz research. You can read or download the latest issue directly as an e-paper.

A new type of material generates electrical current very efficiently from temperature differences. This allows sensors and small processors to supply themselves with energy wirelessly. Thermoelectric materials can convert heat into electrical energy. This is due to the so-called Seebeck effect: If there is a temperature difference between the two ends of such a material, electrical voltage can be generated and current can start to flow.

A team from Graz University of Technology succeeded in using the FEBID method to produce complex 3D-printed nano-components for the first time without additional support structures. Additional pictures for download at the end of the text In the nanometer range, complex, free-standing 3D architectures are very difficult to produce in a single step due to the required precision.

By Birgit Baustädter Materials researcher Florian Lackner "wraps" highly reactive alkali metal atoms in gold and examines them in his laser laboratory. A job he dreamed of when he was a child. "What I'm doing now is exactly what I've always wanted to do." Florian Lackner has achieved what many wish for.

With a new process developed at TU Wien (Vienna), living cells can be integrated into fine structures created in a 3D printer - extremely fast and with very high resolution. Tissue growth and the behavior of cells can be controlled and investigated particularly well by embedding the cells in a delicate 3D framework.

A very special kind of light is emitted by tungsten diselenide layers. The reason for this has been unclear. Now an explanation has been found at TU Wien (Vienna). It is an exotic phenomenon that nobody was able to explain for years: when energy is supplied to a thin layer of the material tungsten diselenide, it begins to glow in a highly unusual fashion.

By Birgit Baustädter In chemical analysis, when electron microscopes reach their limits, the field emission microprobe steps in. With this equipment, taking analysis down to the next level of magnitude is no problem. The wafer-thin black flake shines like a flattened precious stone. The flake is locked in a silver sample container sitting on a clean tray waiting to be pushed into a large machine on the opposite side of the lab.