Functional Materials and Process Systems for Technological Transformation

The “Under Sleeper Pads (USPEX)” research project has been a hit at the AiF SME Day in Berlin. The project attracted considerable interest from participants and was praised by the Federal Ministry as an outstanding flagship project. As part of the project, the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Plastics Technology is working with HET Elastomertechnik GmbH to develop innovative rubber pads for use beneath concrete sleepers in railway track construction. What makes them special is that these so-called Under Sleeper Pads are being produced sustainably and cost-effectively from end-of-life tyres for the first time.

Read more at fbmk.h-da.de

Medicine is pinning its hopes on nanoparticles. These are used in cancer treatment, as MRI contrast agents and in vaccine development. But what exactly do these tiny particles do inside the body? In a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), researchers at h_da are exploring this very question by developing tiny model kidneys and dispatching nanoparticles of various shapes – sometimes round, sometimes star-shaped, sometimes spiky – through them. The aim is to gain a better understanding of how nanoparticles work in the body and to minimise side effects. (Text: Christina Janssen, Translation: Sharon Oranski, Photography: Samira Schulz)

Read more at impact.h-da.de

A new helium pycnometer was commissioned at the Research Centre for Materials and Process Engineering (fz mpt) on Thursday 19 March 2026. The instrument was jointly requested by the Building Materials Laboratory (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering) and the Plastics Technology Group (Department of Mechanical and Plastics Engineering).