There is great excitement in the coral reef when an uninvited guest appears in the form of an old trainers. The sea creatures are anything but enthusiastic about the disturbing object. With plenty of humour, sarcasm and wit, a debate about environmental pollution and the effects of plastic waste on their home begins. In the midst of the discussion, a futuristic idea is born: Bacterial strains or fungal cultures can be used to produce cellulose fabrics on a 3D object. This fabric can then be processed into a leather-like material. Finally, the fine-fibre fabric can be peeled off its microstructured carrier without tearing. The environmentally friendly material is biodegradable. The possibilities open up applications that go far beyond the production of ecologically sustainable shoes. The idea is based on the FWF Peek project ‘Fashion & Robotics’ and the EU project ‘BioCombs4Nanofibers’, co-operations between the University of Art and Design Linz, the Institute of Medical and Biomechatronics and the Institute of Applied Physics (JKU).

Cancer currently plagues humanity. As effective as chemotherapy can be, it usually damages both cancer cells and healthy cells resulting in a considerable burden for the patient. Scientists at the Institute of Polymer Chemistry have developed a "transport medium" that takes the cancer drug directly to the cancer cells - and without considerable damage to the healthy cells.

Scientists at the Institute for Experimental Physics, Department of Soft Matter Physics, opens an external URL in a new window, have created stretchable batteries. This means that, for example, electronic devices could soon be incorporated into textiles along with a power supply.  The field of application is consumer electronics, but also medical technology and other fields. The sky's the limit!

The third project of this type from the Institute for Semiconductor and Solid State Physics deals with fundamental aspects of silicon photonics and in particular with electrically operated germanium quantum dot lasers for on-chip applications.