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Our Tuesday feature: In the #diensttalk, our employees give a little insight into their work and reveal the vision that drives them. Christiane Schuster works on optical testing methods and nanosensor technology at the IKTS site in Dresden-Klotzsche. As head of the working group of the same name, she explains what lies behind this and reveals her personal research highlights to date. We also find out what she is most passionate about.

The Tuesday feature. In the #diensttalk series, our employees give a brief insight into their activities and reveal what vision drives them. This time, Dr. Stefanie Seitz, transfer expert at IKTS, gives us an insight into how she develops innovative formats for vocational training, e.g. for the automotive industry, and supports researchers in putting their ideas, knowledge and developments into practice.

The Tuesday feature. In the #diensttalk series, our employees give a brief insight into their activities and reveal what vision drives them. This time, PhD student Micha Philip Fertig provides insights into doctoral studies at Fraunhofer and his research on sustainable solid-state batteries.

The Tuesday feature. In the #diensttalk series, our employees give a brief insight into their activities and reveal what vision drives them. This time we follow Dr. Olga Ravkina. As a scientist and group leader, Olga researches ceramic materials and processes for gas separation, such as an environmentally friendly ammonia synthesis route.

Stephan Heilmann develops software for test systems with the aim of ensuring maximum operational reliability – and this job has already taken him high up on wind turbines, on the railways, into the Paris sewers and to the bottom of the sea.

How do nanoparticle surfaces react with proteins in blood? How must the surface of the foundation structures of offshore wind turbines be designed to prevent biofilm from growing on them? What properties should the surface of an implant have to grow in well? How to produce customized suspensions for ceramic manufacturing. These are questions that the "Powder and Suspension Characterization" research group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS is addressing. The team provides reliable data for a wide range of topics. The many years of experience in analysis and evaluation are a distinctive feature of the group.

Whether it is precious metal ink for a drug test kit, ceramic screen-printing paste for high-tech sensors or glass solder paste for the airtight joining of ceramic fuel cells – Dr. Sindy Mosch and her team develop the right functional layer for every application. “A versatile and exciting job”, says the materials scientist.

Piezo system solutions are suitable for a variety of sensory applications in the field of medical technology, ultrasonic generation or even in non-destructive material testing. The manufacturing process is complex and can lead to destruction of the component in case of unsuitable component design or errors in the poling process. For this reason, Fraunhofer IKTS specializes in various prototyping processes: The advantage: time and resources are reduced to a minimum by computer-aided methods, while at the same time optimizing the product properties.

Pink light shines in the technical center of Fraunhofer IKTS in Dresden. Where otherwise plants for water filtration, fuel cells or 3D printing machines are located, small plants have recently started to grow on several floors. "With our vertical farming test stand, we are testing how we can use ceramic technologies to make plant cultivation – especially in controlled cultivation systems such as greenhouses – more sustainable and resource-efficient", explains Nico Domurath, plant cultivation expert at Fraunhofer IKTS. "We want to think holistically about the three major issues of food, water and energy and leverage synergies, close loops and make optimal use of residual materials by intelligently coupling processes", Domurath continues. Why is this important?

Offshore wind farms are among the most reliable renewable energy sources. A turbine consists of four main sections: the rotor section, tower, transition piece with working platform and the foundation structure. The foundation structure anchors the turbine stably in the seabed. Bianca Weihnacht and her interdisciplinary team monitor the condition of the foundation structure under water automatically in real time with their ultrasonic sensor system. This enables them to detect and localize cracks in the weld seam between the transition piece and the foundation structure at an early stage. How exactly? Bianca Weihnacht will tell you in a short video and interview.