Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Loss Analysis of Low Bandgap (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se 2 Solar Cells for Tandem Applications

ABSTRACT Tandem solar cells can better harness the energy of the solar spectrum. Chalcopyrite solar cells have drawn attention, being the only highly efficient devices with a bandgap around 1.0 eV, suitable for bottom cells. In the quest for better efficiencies, we conduct a comp...

Revisiting microplastic pollution: A novel method for detecting small-sized microplastics in natural waters

Abstract Microplastics are widespread, yet methods to measure polymer type simultaneously and particles size smaller than 20 µm are limited, hindering toxicity assessment and policy formulations. We introduce a machine learning-assisted spectral flow cytometry approach that ident...

OptiMat Alloys: a FAIR, living database of multi-principal element alloys enabled by a conversational agent

The FAIR principles have transformed how computational materials data and workflows are shared, yet existing repositories can only serve pre-computed entries — their coverage is perpetually incomplete and cannot adapt to new questions on demand. We built OptiMat Alloys, a large-l...

Support effects and design rules for enhanced phosphotungstic acid catalyzed olefin oligomerization to sustainable aviation fuels

Reducing the environmental footprint of aviation fuels requires catalysts that convert renewable olefins to jet-fuel hydrocarbons (JF). In this context, supported phosphotungstic acid (PTA) emerged as a promising Brønsted acid catalyst for this transformation. The performance of...

Accelerated carbonation of recycled concrete aggregates: Binding of CO2 and decalcification of calcium-silicate-hydrate

Recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) are a valuable resource for reuse as aggregates in concrete and asphalt. However, the porous mortar adhering to the original aggregates and microcracks both in the mortar and at the interfaces result in increased water absorption and reduced mec...

Toward continuous shrinkage measurement of poured earth: practical setup and underlying shrinking mechanisms

Abstract Continuous shrinkage measurement in earth-based materials remains technically challenging, particularly for high-water-content mixtures with low initial stiffness. In this study, a semi-cylindrical experimental setup, combined with digital image correlation (DIC) for mea...