More than 300 Scientists at SRF 2009 in Berlin
International Conference on RF-Superconductivity and Accelerator Physics was a great success!
International Conference on RF-Superconductivity and Accelerator Physics was a great success! The HZB hosted an important international conference, SRF 2009 (International Conference of Radiofrequency Superconductivity) from September 20 to 25. Professor Dr. Anke Rita Kaysser-Pyzalla welcomed the interested scientists in her opening speech at dbb Forum in Berlin. The number of attendants exceeded all expectations. More than 300 scientists took advantage of this opportunity to discuss the latest results in SRF research and technology development.
RF superconductivity has evolved over the last decades into the enabling technology for many accelerators for particle physics, nuclear physics and, increasingly, light sources. The European Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) in Hamburg and the recently commissioned Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge, USA are exciting examples of the varied applications of SRF.
The SRF 2009 was organised by HZB in cooperation with the Forschungszentrum Dresden - Rossendorf. In Rossendorf, 13 tutorial sessions were held from 17th to 19th of September. Notable professionals passed on their extensive knowledge and experience in the field of SRF to about 90 participating scientists.
Please click here for more information on the SRF 2009: http://srf2009.helmholtz-berlin.de
- Battery research: visualisation of aging processes operandoLithium button cells with electrodes made of nickel-manganese-cobalt oxides (NMC) are very powerful. Unfortunately, their capacity decreases over time. Now, for the first time, a team has used a non-destructive method to observe how the elemental composition of the individual layers in a button cell changes during charging cycles. The study, now published in the journal Small, involved teams from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the University of Münster, researchers from the SyncLab research group at HZB and the BLiX laboratory at the Technical University of Berlin. Measurements were carried out in the BLiX laboratory and at the BESSY II synchrotron radiation source.
- New instrument at BESSY II: The OÆSE endstation in EMILA new instrument is now available at BESSY II for investigating catalyst materials, battery electrodes and other energy devices under operating conditions: the Operando Absorption and Emission Spectroscopy on EMIL (OÆSE) endstation in the Energy Materials In-situ Laboratory Berlin (EMIL). A team led by Raul Garcia-Diez and Marcus Bär showcases the instrument’s capabilities via a proof-of-concept study on electrodeposited copper.
- Green hydrogen: A cage structured material transforms into a performant catalystClathrates are characterised by a complex cage structure that provides space for guest ions too. Now, for the first time, a team has investigated the suitability of clathrates as catalysts for electrolytic hydrogen production with impressive results: the clathrate sample was even more efficient and robust than currently used nickel-based catalysts. They also found a reason for this enhanced performance. Measurements at BESSY II showed that the clathrates undergo structural changes during the catalytic reaction: the three-dimensional cage structure decays into ultra-thin nanosheets that allow maximum contact with active catalytic centres. The study has been published in the journal ‘Angewandte Chemie’.