The Institute for Frontier Materials on Earth and in Space
Institute for Frontier Materials on Earth and in Space
Our unique facilities and wide-ranging expertise in research on earth and under space conditions form a strong foundation for the development of innovative applications.
We research and develop materials across all development stages and actively drive sustainable, digitally integrated, and resilient material solutions through interdisciplinary focus areas – all the way to system integration and technology transfer.
The research activities of the institute are systematically aligned with the four main stages of the materials development chain: Design, Discovery, Demonstration, and Deployment. Our unique expertise and laboratories for research on earth and under space conditions form a strong foundation for the development of innovative applications. With currently five cross-sectional research focal points, we build a bridge to system integration and technology transfer.
The four main stages of materials development are illustrated in the following figure, where the objectives and the key questions to be addressed in each phase are briefly explained. This D4 approach enables us to define the focus of our research more precisely and to assess the technological maturity of our results.
D4-approach: The four phases of material development
The four phases of material development leveraging a unique infrastructure on Earth and in space, within a unique DLR ecosystem.
In recent years, the transition to new, digitally integrated technologies has created opportunities to significantly accelerate material development processes. The next picture highlights key technologies and methods that our institute employs, advances, and integrates—with the goal of reducing development times by at least 50% in the future.
Acceleration of materials development through digital integrated methods
The institute focuses on five cross-cutting, strategic research areas aligned with the core objectives of DLR’s programs in Aeronautics, Space, Transport, Energy, and Security. These focus areas serve as a bridge to system integration and technology transfer:
Rapid materials and process development
Sustainable materials and technology solutions
Resilient materials for corrosive and extreme environments
Virtualization, predictive simulations, and data management for digitally integrated materials and processes
Materials and process discovery platforms on Earth and in space
The institute introduces itself
We research and develop materials at all stages of development and use interdisciplinary focal points to drive sustainable, digitally integrated and resilient material solutions through to system integration and technology transfer. The Institute's research activities are systematically organised along the four main stages of the materials development chain, namely design, discovery, demonstration and deployment.
The new Institute for Frontier Materials on Earth and in Space introduced by the acting directors Prof. Dr. Guillermo Requena and Prof. Dr. Daniela Zander
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The new Institute for Frontier Materials on Earth and in Space introduced by the acting directors Prof. Dr. Guillermo Requena and Prof. Dr. Daniela Zander
We research and develop materials at all stages of development and use interdisciplinary focal points to drive sustainable, digitally integrated and resilient material solutions through to system integration and technology transfer. The Institute's research activities are systematically organised along the four main stages of the materials development chain, namely design, discovery, demonstration and deployment.
