Interview with MIT-Expert Harry Tuller
Prof. Dr. Harry Tuller, MIT, was a guest-scientist at the institute for solar fuels.
When can we hope to store solar energy in form of hydrogen with an efficient and cheap solution? What is motivating young people to get involved into science these days? And how does is come that many scientists really love to work, even after the official retirement age? Prof. Dr. Harry Tuller ist answering these questions in an interview, which you can listen here. And if you prefer to read his answers, you could download the transcript.
In summer 2013, Professor Harry Tuller was visiting the HZB for several weeks. His visit was sponsored by a Helmholtz International Fellowship Award. Tuller is an expert in the field of fuel cells, batteries and new solutions for energy transformation at the world famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.
The Interview:
- BESSY II: Evaporated perovskites in tandem solar cells improvedPerovskite-silicon tandem solar cells achieve significantly higher efficiencies than silicon solar cells on their own. One particularly attractive method is co-evaporation of the perovskite precursor molecules on top of the silicon subcell. Scientists at HZB have analysed film growth on the nanoscale at BESSY II and found a new way to improve the quality of the perovskite layer: adding a thin seed layer of caesium chloride between the two sub-cells promotes uniform perovskite growth and suppresses the formation of undesired lead iodide at the interface.
- Hatice Mutlu appointed to the Helmholtz Institute HIPOLE in JenaProf. Dr Hatice Mutlu is the new professor of sustainable polymer chemistry at HIPOLE Jena, the Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications. On 17 August 2026, she visited the HZB campus in Berlin-Adlershof including the BESSY II lightsource and discussed future collaboration with researchers and the board of directors.
- Green hydrogen with PEC electrolysers: New insights into transport processesOne method of storing solar energy is to use PEC electrolysers to produce hydrogen. However, scaling up this technology remains challenging. Now, a team at the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels has used 2D fluorescence imaging and particle velocimetry to observe the movement of ions and dissolved gases within the electrolyte during electrolysis. These new insights may prove useful in the development of larger PEC electrolysers.