With innovative materials to the top

Pacemaker implants must be well tolerated, elements in a car must be very stable: new developments depend decisively on the right properties of materials, but it is not always easy to find the optimal solution. With its "Innovative Materials for Industry and Society" programme, the Federal Government pursues the aim of enhancing the competitiveness of important German industries.

Innovative materials are in demand in all sectors of technology and all industries. They manifest themselves in particularly scratch-resistant lacquer, high-temperature resistant metal alloys or extremely light special plastics for aircraft. In addition, materials are very important within the framework of the "Molecular Imaging" and "Lithium Ion Battery" innovation alliances and the "CarbonNanoTubes" initiative.

About five million people in Germany work in materials-based industries such as vehicle construction and mechanical engineering, for chemical industry, information and communication technologies, energy supply, electrical engineering/electronics and metal production and processing. These industries make a major contribution to the German trade surplus and to Germany's export strength. In particular in difficult economic times, new materials hold considerable innovation potential which can benefit the competitiveness of German companies.

In the manufacturing industry, material costs account for almost half the production costs. It is very expensive to develop new materials and hardly ever possible for one company on its own. Materials research is therefore receiving targeted support within the framework of "WING - Innovative Materials for Industry and Society". This programme of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) integrates materials research, chemistry and nanotechnology as essential elements for materials innovations in the field of production and processes.

Renewable Materials

The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) also supports materials research within the framework of its "Renewable Resources" programme. Plant fibre, for example, can be used for reinforcing vehicle parts, corn or potatoes can be used to produce organic glue, beet sugar as a raw material for producing organic plastics. The range of renewable resources is enlarged by using biotechnology methods for plant breeding within the framework of the BMBF funding programmes "GABI" and "Plant-KBBE".

Project Example:
Treatment of water from oil fields by means of ceramic membranes
When exploiting oil fields, large quantities of water are found. Since many oil fields are located in areas with growing water shortage, it becomes increasingly important to see this production water as a resource. First, it must be purified so that it can be used for irrigation and does not endanger the water reservoir. So far, filtration procedures have used membranes which retain emulsified hydrocarbons, salts and other often highly toxic substances. These membranes must be cleaned of residues. Different purification techniques have been necessary so far. Within the framework of a research project of Fachhochschule Gießen-Friedberg and Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH), Colorado State University and partners from industry, production water from oil fields is to be cleaned of contaminants - by modification of newly developed ceramic membranes. Furthermore, an efficient cleaning concept of the membranes as such is being developed. The new process will be integrated into an overall cleaning concept for water treatment in oil fields.