More light
Why is? To bright, stable and easy to recycle lighting technology.
Light from the laboratory: That’s what the cooperation between the TU and the University of Turin was all about.
(Photo: Jan Winter/TUM)
Why is that important? Light is in demand everywhere. For this reason, intensive research is being carried out into techniques for producing lighting equipment in a cost-effective and simple manner. One way: light-emitting electrochemical cells light-emitting electrochemical cells (LEC) called. These are thin-film components that generate light when a low voltage is applied. The scientists have now succeeded in creating such cells from copper complexes. This was made possible by an extensive data analysis of the properties of these copper complexes – and an investigation of how their structure and electronic parameters determine the efficiency and the color and intensity of the emitted light. The result: powerful LECs that emit blue light.
TU professor Rubén D. Costa and his student Ginnevra Giobbio working on the innovative lighting system. This is located in an isolator that is sealed gas-tight.
(Photo: Jan Winter/TUM)
Who found out? Research groups led by Rubén D. Costa, Professor for Biogenic Functional Materials on the campus of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Straubing, and by Claudia Barolo at the University of Turin.
What’s next? “Blue light is needed to develop inexpensive components that emit white light. However, the lack of blue emitters to date has hampered the transition from the laboratory to the real market. The creation of blue emitters is therefore a milestone in thin-film lighting. “If blue components only Once there, we can produce white components relatively easily,” predicts TU professor Rubén D. Costa. With the new LECs it is possible to achieve white with a color rendering index of 90, says Claudia Barolo from the University of Turin. The color rendering index indicates how natural colors of illuminated objects appear. It can have a maximum value of 100. 90 is already very good.
Viruses as medicine against bacteria
Why is? More and more bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics. An alternative to fighting bacteria: so-called bacteriophages. These are viruses that specifically infect certain bacteria.
Why is that important? In the EU, more than 30,000 people die each year as a result of bacterial infections that cannot be treated with antibiotics. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), multi-resistant germs are among the greatest health threats. Bacteriophages are the natural enemies of bacteria. There are millions of species of these viruses, each specializing in certain bacteria. The viruses use the bacteria to multiply by inserting their DNA into them. The virus multiplies rapidly in the bacterium. They end up killing the cell and exiting to infect new cells. They act like a very specific antibiotic. “There is enormous potential in the bacteriophages,” says Gil Westmeyer, Professor of Neurobiological Engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Director of the Institute for Synthetic Biomedicine at the Helmholtz Zentrum München. reproducible, safe and efficient – but these are precisely the decisive criteria for the successful production of pharmaceuticals.” His team has now developed a new method for this: a nutrient solution in which bacteriophages form and multiply and which – unlike the solutions previously used – does not use any viable cells. This means that potentially infectious bacterial strains are no longer necessary. All you need is the genome, i.e. the DNA of the viruses that are to be created. To test the method, they managed to create a bacteriophage for a patient suffering from an antibiotic-resistant skin infection.
Who invented it? Gil Westmeyer’s research team in collaboration with Kilian Vogele and the start-up Invitris. A group of students from TUM and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich had previously developed the basis for the technology, for which they received an award at the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) in 2018. The start-up emerged from this group.
Gil Westmeyer (left) and Kilian Vogele.
(Photo: Andreas Heddergott/TUM)
What’s next? The new technology has been patented and is now being used for further research at TUM. According to Westmeyer, it would be ideal in the long term in connection with a genetic archive in which the DNA of relevant bacteriophages could be stored. If necessary, one can then quickly produce bacteriophages with the help of this archive in the nutrient solution.
Quantum Cryptography and Quantum Internet
Why is? An advanced form of quantum cryptography.
Why is that important? There is a lot of sensitive information on the internet. Encryption techniques ensure that they are not intercepted. In the future, however, quantum computers could overcome them, and the powerful computers could crack the keys quickly. Quantum mechanical technology therefore also requires a new form of cryptography. One form already exists: the quantum mechanical key exchange – in technical jargon Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). It makes connecting lines tap-proof. But one possible gateway remains: computers. The devices could issue encryptions that the manufacturer has previously saved and passed on to hackers. The solution to the problem is provided by Device independent QKD, DIQKD for short. Here, the cryptographic protocol is independent of the device used. There are different approaches to the exchange of quantum mechanical keys. In a groundbreaking experiment, the physicists now used two quantum systems that are located on the campus of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) and that are connected via a 700-meter-long fiber optic cable that is located in front of the university’s main building under the Geschwister-Scholl-Platz runs through. To create an entanglement, the scientists use two rubidium atoms. These are each excited with a laser pulse, after which they each emit a photon. The two light particles are sent through the fiber optic cable to a receiving station, where the two quantum memories are entangled after a measurement. The quantum states of the two atoms are then measured. If these match in the decisive parameters, the results can be used to generate a secret key. The values of other parameters can be used to test and ensure that previously hidden measurement results have not been stored in the devices.
Who invented it? The theory behind this method has existed since the 1990s. Now it has been experimentally realized for the first time – by an international research group led by LMU physicist Harald Weinfurter and Charles Lim from the National University of Singapore (NUS). In another groundbreaking experiment, a team led by Weinfurter and Christoph Becher, a professor at Saarland University, succeeded in entangling two quantum memories over a 33-kilometer fiber optic link. This was a record – and an important step towards the quantum internet.
Experimenting with encryption technology: quantum cryptography expert Harald Weinfurter.
(Photo: LMU)
What’s next? “With our method, we can now generate secret keys with uncharacterized and potentially untrustworthy devices,” explains Harald Weinfurter. A research group from the University of Oxford and the Université Paris-Saclay also succeeded in device-independent key exchange this year – in a system of two entangled ions in the same laboratory. “These two works lay the foundation for future quantum networks in which completely secure communication between distant locations is possible,” says Charles Lim, assistant professor at the University of Singapore. One of the next goals is to extend the system to multiple entangled pairs of atoms. And expanding the range.
Controlling development aid with AI
Why is? Artificial intelligence to better evaluate global development aid projects.
Why is that important? Large sums of money are raised around the world to support countries in specific areas. There are very different approaches and sponsors. International organizations transfer money, send material, offer technological support or training. There are also a large number of smaller national institutions. In view of the sums distributed, it would be important to have a global overview of where and into which areas support is flowing, according to the scientists’ approach, so that the projects can be better coordinated. To achieve this, they used artificial intelligence and analyzed 3.2 million projects that took place between the years 2000 and 2019. The sum that was moved: 2.8 trillion US dollars. Such a comprehensive evaluation did not previously exist. The end result was an overview of the projects, broken down into 173 categories: from education and nutrition to biodiversity.
Who found out? A team of AI experts led by Stefan Feuerriegel, head of the Institute of Artificial Intelligence in Management at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), and the ETH Zurich.
Researches AI in management: Stefan Feuerriegel.
(Photo: LMU)
What’s next? “With the help of our framework, it is possible to observe global development aid projects from various aspects that have not previously been considered, such as climate protection. This allows us to identify regional and temporal differences and point out gaps,” says Stefan Feuerriegel. In this way, development aid institutions could make evidence-based decisions. The fine subdivision also shows that there is a great need for research in the areas of greenhouse gas emissions and maternal health.