Honorary doctorate for Prof. Hans-Werner Schock
Prof. Hans-Werner Schock (3.f.l.) receives the honorary doctorate at University of Tallinn.
Tallinn University of Technology (TTU) has named Prof. Hans-Werner Schock recipient of an honorary doctorate in recognition of Schock’s achievements during TTU’s integration into the Western research community after the 1990 fall of the Iron Curtain.
According to Schock, “TTU was already actively conducting research on monograin layer solar cells way before 1990.” Once the Iron Curtain came down, it was necessary to integrate solid Eastern European research sites like Tallinn into the European research community.
“At the time, I was coordinator for a major EU project and had the chance to win over Estland with TTU as one of our partnering institutes,” says Schock. This marked the beginning of a regular success story: The TTU Institute of Materials Science quickly became integrated in the wet european research alliances and built up a solid international reputation for itself. Schock continued to collaborate with TTU over the years: “At this point, TTU has established itself as an important player in photovoltaics research – our collaboration has consistently proven very fruitful.”
Today, the university is internationally ranked among the very top. Hans-Werner Schock is the man to thank for giving the initial impulse back in the 90’s. Reason enough for TTU to bestow upon him their honorary doctorate in mid-September of this year.
- Bright prospects for tin perovskite solar cellsPerovskite solar cells are widely regarded as the next generation photovoltaic technology. However, they are not yet stable enough in the long term for widespread commercial use. One reason for this is migrating ions, which cause degradation of the semiconducting material over time. A team from HZB and the University of Potsdam has now investigated the ion density in four different, widely used perovskite compounds and discovered significant differences. Tin perovskite semiconductors produced with an alternative solvent had a particular low ion density — only one tenth that of lead perovskite semiconductors. This suggests that tin-based perovskites could be used to make solar cells that are not only really environmentally friendly but also very stable.
- Joint Kyiv Energy and Climate Lab goes liveHelmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy established on 27 November a Joint Energy and Climate Lab.
- How carbonates influence CO2-to-fuel conversionResearchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI) have uncovered how carbonate molecules affect the conversion of CO2 into valuable fuels on gold electrocatalysts. Their findings reveal key molecular mechanisms in CO2 electrocatalysis and hydrogen evolution, pointing to new strategies for improving energy efficiency and reaction selectivity.