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Research facility · Dübendorf · Switzerland

Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

In research, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology stands highest in Physical Sciences (#613 of 12,888 worldwide), Engineering (#521 of 6,636 worldwide) and Materials Science (#252 of 2,468 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Polymers and Plastics, Materials Chemistry and Materials Science — Polymers and Plastics is 6.5× its share of world research.

empa.chROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#1,040
of 28,054 · #784 all time
Rank in Switzerland
#12
of 220
Research works
7.3k
▲ 19% vs 2013–17
Citations
320k
43.6 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
24.2%
record average 16.5%
Open access
52%
world 28%

What is Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022–2025, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Physical SciencesDomain #613 of 12,888 23.7%1,223 #562
EngineeringField #521 of 6,636 23.9%617 #495
Materials ScienceField #252 of 2,468 23.0%281 #203
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringSubfield #475 of 2,318 23.9%168 #542
Materials ChemistrySubfield #323 of 1,556 22.1%164 #182
Civil and Structural EngineeringSubfield #298 of 896 30.9%72 #79
Environmental ScienceField #1,329 of 3,551 29.2%114 #690
Mechanical EngineeringSubfield #514 of 1,351 23.0%86 #392
Life SciencesDomain #3,703 of 7,800 28.9%71 #3534
Biomedical EngineeringSubfield #752 of 1,568 19.8%98 #563

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

Which of those standings moved

The same fields on both windows: where it stood over the whole record, and where it stands in 2022–2025. The distance is the story, and it is the one thing the two rank columns above cannot show.

  1. Physical Sciences#562 #613
  2. Engineering#495 #521
  3. Materials Science#203 #252
  4. Electrical and Electronic Engineering#542 #475
  5. Materials Chemistry#182 #323
  6. Civil and Structural Engineering#79 #298
  7. Environmental Science#690 #1,329
  8. Mechanical Engineering#392 #514
  9. Life Sciences#3,534 #3,703
  10. Biomedical Engineering#563 #752
all time2022–2025, better2022–2025, worse

A dot further right is a better standing. Fields it was not ranked in over the whole record are left out.

What does Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Polymers and Plastics takes 6.5× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Polymers and PlasticsSubfield · 36.9 works6.5×
  2. Materials ChemistrySubfield · 164.0 works6.0×
  3. Materials ScienceField · 281.0 works5.7×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.41× its world share, 27 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.43× its world share, 32 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.20× its world share, 3 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.25× its world share, 6 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.52× its world share, 3 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 4.20× its world share, 21 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 2.09× its world share, 46 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.19× its world share, 21 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.44× its world share, 32 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 2.75× its world share, 36 worksEnergyEngineering: 2.93× its world share, 617 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.63× its world share, 114 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 5.74× its world share, 281 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.20× its world share, 3 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 1.70× its world share, 53 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.51× its world share, 4 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.32× its world share, 12 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.23× its world share, 62 worksMedicineNursing: 0.06× its world share, 0 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.47× its world share, 1 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.07× its world share, 3 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.19× its world share, 8 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.20× its world share, 3 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.15× its world share, 4 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.07× its world share, 3 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.05× its world share, 9 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Materials Science, 5.7×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology?

Ranked on the composite score, Andreas Züttel, Barbara Lothenbach and Masoud Motavalli lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology.

  1. 1 Andreas Züttel Switzerland · #4,034 worldwide 2.6k citations · 71 works
  2. 2 Barbara Lothenbach Switzerland · #24,565 worldwide 1.4k citations · 88 works
  3. 3 Masoud Motavalli Switzerland · #36,257 worldwide 323 citations · 45 works
  4. 4 Lorenz M. Hilty Switzerland · #40,560 worldwide 370 citations · 58 works
  5. 5 Harald F. Krug Switzerland · #64,966 worldwide 457 citations · 33 works
  6. 6 Frank Winnefeld Switzerland · #67,723 worldwide 627 citations · 39 works
  7. 7 Daniel Rentsch Switzerland · #72,724 worldwide 495 citations · 43 works
  8. 8 Fan Fu Switzerland · #79,596 worldwide 365 citations · 31 works
  9. 9 Julien Michels Switzerland · #86,824 worldwide 223 citations · 34 works
  10. 10 Lorenz Holzer Switzerland · #88,258 worldwide 310 citations · 27 works
All ranked researchers at Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Which keywords describe research at Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Mechanical Properties, Nanocomposites, Biomedical Applications, Microstructure, Additive Manufacturing, Nanomaterials, Environmental Impact and Efficiency.

▲ more of its work than of the world’s◆ about the world’s share▼ less than the world’s

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Mechanical Properties87▲ 6.4×30 topics
  2. Nanocomposites82▲ 7.3×21 topics
  3. Biomedical Applications80▲ 4.8×34 topics
  4. Environmental Impact68▲ 2.9×32 topics
  5. Microstructure63▲ 8.7×17 topics
  6. Nanoparticles60▲ 3.4×39 topics
  7. Nanomaterials58▲ 3.9×18 topics
  8. Additive Manufacturing49▲ 11×7 topics
  9. Energy Storage44▲ 4.8×11 topics
  10. Catalysis42▲ 4.5×22 topics
  11. Efficiency41▲ 9.7×4 topics
  12. Nanocrystals40▲ 10×5 topics
  13. Tissue Engineering40▲ 4.6×13 topics
  14. Crystal Growth39▲ 9.9×10 topics
  15. Cathode Materials38▲ 6.9×3 topics
  16. Graphene38▲ 3.9×11 topics
  17. Semiconductors36▲ 8.4×5 topics
  18. Photovoltaics33▲ 14×4 topics
  19. Recycling31▲ 5.8×9 topics
  20. Lithium-ion Batteries30▲ 5.0×3 topics
  21. Applications29▲ 7.5×7 topics
  22. Nanostructures29▲ 5.1×16 topics
  23. Synthesis29▲ 5.5×16 topics
  24. Stability29▲ 8.9×4 topics
  25. Drug Delivery29▲ 3.8×15 topics
  26. Light-Emitting Diodes28▲ 13×3 topics
  27. Materials27▲ 8.1×6 topics
  28. Organometal Halide Perovskites27▲ 17×1 topic
  29. Perovskite Solar Cells27▲ 17×1 topic
  30. Polymer Composites26▲ 7.1×7 topics
  31. Semiconductor26▲ 5.4×6 topics
  32. Solar Cells26▲ 9.0×7 topics
  33. Nanotechnology25▲ 10.0×5 topics
  34. Thin Films24▲ 8.9×9 topics
  35. 3D Printing23▲ 7.0×4 topics
  36. Two-Dimensional Materials22▲ 6.9×4 topics
  37. Geopolymer22▲ 11×2 topics
  38. Quantum Dots21▲ 16×3 topics
  39. Electronic Structure20▲ 8.0×8 topics
  40. Fluorescence Imaging20▲ 9.5×2 topics

Which research topics does Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Perovskite Materials and Applications, Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties, Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies and Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials.

Perovskite Materials and…27Perovskite Materials and Applications: 27 fractional worksQuantum Dots Synthesis A…17Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties: 17 fractional worksAdditive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies: 16 fractional worksAdvanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials: 16 fractional worksConcrete and Cement Materials Research: 16 fractional worksAdvancements in Battery Materials: 16 fractional worksAdditive Manufacturing Materials and Processes: 16 fractional worksAdvanced Battery Materia…16Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies: 16 fractional worksBuilding Energy and Comfort Optimization: 15 fractional worksMetal and Thin Film Mechanics: 14 fractional works
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringMaterials ChemistryAutomotive EngineeringBiomedical Engineering4 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Perovskite Materials and Applications Electrical and Electronic Engineering 27 works
  2. 2 Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties Materials Chemistry 17 works
  3. 3 Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies Automotive Engineering 16 works
  4. 4 Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials Biomedical Engineering 16 works
  5. 5 Concrete and Cement Materials Research Civil and Structural Engineering 16 works
  6. 6 Advancements in Battery Materials Electrical and Electronic Engineering 16 works
  7. 7 Additive Manufacturing Materials and Processes Mechanical Engineering 16 works
  8. 8 Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies Electrical and Electronic Engineering 16 works
  9. 9 Building Energy and Comfort Optimization Building and Construction 15 works
  10. 10 Metal and Thin Film Mechanics Mechanics of Materials 14 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world’s own shares — the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available51.8%not open48.2%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors38.3%domestic only61.7%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 19% higher than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Other research institutions in Dübendorf

All research institutions in Dübendorf

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.