Fraunhofer Society

About: Fraunhofer Society is a government organization based out in Munich, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Laser & Silicon. The organization has 24736 authors who have published 40168 publications receiving 820894 citations.

Dynamic analysis of global copper flows. Global stocks, postconsumer material flows, recycling indicators, and uncertainty evaluation.

Abstract: We present a dynamic model of global copper stocks and flows which allows a detailed analysis of recycling efficiencies, copper stocks in use, and dissipated and landfilled copper. The model is based on historical mining and refined copper production data (1910–2010) enhanced by a unique data set of recent global semifinished goods production and copper end-use sectors provided by the copper industry. To enable the consistency of the simulated copper life cycle in terms of a closed mass balance, particularly the matching of recycled metal flows to reported historical annual production data, a method was developed to estimate the yearly global collection rates of end-of-life (postconsumer) scrap. Based on this method, we provide estimates of 8 different recycling indicators over time. The main indicator for the efficiency of global copper recycling from end-of-life (EoL) scrap—the EoL recycling rate—was estimated to be 45% on average, ± 5% (one standard deviation) due to uncertainty and variability over ti...

Additive Manufacturing Technologies Compared: Morphology of Deposits of Silver Ink Using Inkjet and Aerosol Jet Printing

Abstract: We report about a detailed comparison of the additive manufacturing methods inkjet printing (IJP) and aerosol jet printing (AJP). Both technologies are based on the direct-writing approach enabling the non-contact deposition of various materials in flexible patterns, e.g., for printed electronic applications. The deposited pattern elements were classified as (i) drops (IJP) or splats (AJP), (ii) lines, and (iii) squares. These elements can be considered as basic elements of the deposition systems and also of printed electronics. The pattern elements were deposited with IJP and AJP using the same silver nanoparticle ink. After printing, the layers were characterized regarding their morphology by optical and topographical measurement methods as well as regarding their electrical characteristics. It turned out that drops deposited with IJP and splats deposited with AJP can have similar dimensions. However, the shapes of the deposits differ widely. In the case of lines, AJP enables narrower line widths and th...

Establishment of a Human Blood-Brain Barrier Co-culture Model Mimicking the Neurovascular Unit Using Induced Pluri- and Multipotent Stem Cells.

Abstract: Summary In vitro models of the human blood-brain barrier (BBB) are highly desirable for drug development. This study aims to analyze a set of ten different BBB culture models based on primary cells, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), and multipotent fetal neural stem cells (fNSCs). We systematically investigated the impact of astrocytes, pericytes, and NSCs on hiPSC-derived BBB endothelial cell function and gene expression. The quadruple culture models, based on these four cell types, achieved BBB characteristics including transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) up to 2,500 Ω cm 2 and distinct upregulation of typical BBB genes. A complex in vivo-like tight junction (TJ) network was detected by freeze-fracture and transmission electron microscopy. Treatment with claudin-specific TJ modulators caused TEER decrease, confirming the relevant role of claudin subtypes for paracellular tightness. Drug permeability tests with reference substances were performed and confirmed the suitability of the models for drug transport studies.