Bio-inspired
From leaves to packaging
24.02.2021
Researchers at the Adolphe Merkle Institute (AMI) have discovered how environmental conditions affect water transport through the waxy skin layer of ivy and olive leaves and have successfully mimicked…
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Panorama
The annual report is back
22.07.2019
Our latest annual report is now available online. Read about our 10th anniversary outreach activities, as well as about AMI's contributions to the NCCR Bio-Inspired Materials, and our research.
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Perspective
Our latest annual report
16.07.2018
The Adolphe Merkle Institute’s latest annual report showcases some of our most important recent research breakthroughs, as well as our multiple international collaborations. From electric eels to mechanochromic…
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Starting young
Schoolkids get a taste of nanoscience
09.05.2018
Schoolchildren from the Fribourg area recently spent two afternoons at the Adolphe Merkle Institute as part of the Goûters scientifiques/Wissenschaft zum Zvieri program run by the University of Fribourg.
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Advanced Materials
Special journal issue highlights bio-inspired materials
07.05.2018
Bio-inspiration is a powerful concept to develop novel functional materials. A special edition of leading journal Advanced Materials, edited by Adolphe Merkle Institute Prof. Nico Bruns, presents bio-inspired…
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In Nature
Blue halo helps bees find flowers
18.10.2017
Researchers at the Adolphe Merkle Institute, the University of Cambridge, and Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, have demonstrated that many types of flowers produce a so-called ‘blue halo’ that allows bees…
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PlaMatSu
CHF 2.6 million EU grant goes to training project on bio-inspired materials
18.05.2016
Adolphe Merkle Institute (AMI) Professor Nico Bruns has been awarded a prestigious European training grant worth CHF 2.6 million. This Innovative Training Network (ITN), the first coordinated out of the…
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