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In the BMBF joint project "BALU", a consortium of research institutions and specialized industrial companies is further developing the aluminum-graphite dual-ion battery (AGDIB). The project is pursuing the ambitious goal of transferring the production of AGDIB cells from laboratory scale to industry-compatible production conditions. Ecological considerations, such as the avoidance of critical raw materials, environmentally friendly production and subsequent recycling, play an explicit role in the transfer of the new battery technology. Fraunhofer IKTS is contributing its expertise in cell and process development.

Especially in winter, heat pumps can freeze up, which greatly minimizes their energy efficiency. The partners in the recently launched project PIEZOdevICE, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action (BMBF), want to counter this by developing strategies that minimize the additional energy required for defrosting and thus increase the COP value (coefficient of performance) of the heat pump.

thyssenkrupp nucera and Fraunhofer IKTS agree on a strategic partnership in SOEC technology to jointly take the final steps towards industrial production and application of the high-temperature electrolysis (SOEC) developed at Fraunhofer IKTS.

Fraunhofer IKTS and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) will be working together under one roof to develop industrial technology projects in Dresden, starting from February 2024. The Germany-Korea Technology Cooperation Center for Global Value Chains will be established at the IKTS site in Dresden-Klotzsche, bringing together Korean companies and German researchers. The opening ceremony took place on February 20, 2024 in the presence of representatives from the South Korean Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Saxon Economic Development Agency.

In the BMBF project "Power-to-MEDME-FuE", a research consortium with the participation of Fraunhofer IKTS is evaluating the production potential of hydrogen and liquid fuels from solar energy in Chile. In addition to the technical issues, economic, logistical and socio-economic aspects of scaling up are being examined. The project team is also supporting the establishment of a pilot production facility for methanol and dimethyl ether (DME) in Chile. Fraunhofer IKTS is contributing its expertise in the evaluation of various electrolysis technologies.

South Africa could play an important role as a reliable producer of green hydrogen in the coming years. However, there are currently challenges when it comes to storing and distributing the raw material. This is where the recently launched Fraunhofer joint project “HySecunda” comes in, which aims to find optimized solutions for the production, storage and certification of green hydrogen. Fraunhofer IKTS is contributing its expertise in the development of measuring methods and sensor concepts.

In the recently launched project VorZuQ, Fraunhofer IKTS aims to extend its thermo-mechanical analysis methods into the cryogenic temperature range and thus create the first applications for quantum computing-related materials and structures.

Steel production causes significant emissions of carbon dioxide. To decarbonize steel production and its high CO₂ emissions, Fraunhofer researchers, TS ELINO GmbH and Salzgitter AG are working on converting an existing steel mill to climate-neutral production methods. The aim is to produce steel by the direct reduction of iron ore with hydrogen, which would completely replace harmful coke as a reducing agent. The hydrogen required for this method is produced using electrolysis processes with electricity generated from renewable energy sources. Overall, this could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 97 percent. The decarbonization of the steel industry would therefore contribute significantly to protecting the climate.

When carrying out root canal treatment procedures, dentists need to insert a file deep into the root canal to remove the inflamed tissue. The rotating file often gets jammed and must be cleaned regularly. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS have developed a piezoceramic stack actuator that overlays the rotating motion with an axial vibration. The file does not get jammed as often, meaning that procedures on patients can be completed faster. This technology is also useful for other medical applications, for example in diagnostics and cancer treatment. Fraunhofer IKTS will present a demonstrator at the joint Fraunhofer booth at the COMPAMED medical engineering trade show in Düsseldorf (Hall 8a, Booth G10).

Long-lasting batteries play an integral role in the energy turnaround and thereby in particular the electric transport turnaround. The German branch of battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology GmbH (CATL) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS are jointly developing models at the industrial site Erfurter Kreuz to predict the lifetime of batteries, which will serve as a basis for optimized battery production. The cooperation, which started in 2020 with the “BattLife” project, is now being continued and expanded in the project “BattForce”.