Matthias May receives the Poster Prize at the Wilhelm und Else-Heraeus Seminar
Matthias May, PhD student at the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels, was awarded a Poster Prize at the 562nd WE Heraeus Seminar “From Sunlight to Fuels” for his scientific work. From 11 to 16 May 2014, the participants of the WE Heraeus seminar concentrated intensively on the topic of “converting sunlight to hydrogen” and discussed new materials and processes for photovoltaic and (photo)catalytic applications.
Matthias May impressively demonstrated on his poster how water acts on differently prepared surfaces of III-V compound semiconductors and what interactions occur. It is highly important to study this effect in detail because the initial reaction with water is critical in the development of suitable materials and processes for solar fuels. May prepared two different surfaces of gallium and indium phosphide and then analyzed and compared the influence of water using photoelectron spectroscopy and in-situ reflection anisotropy spectroscopy.
The 562nd WE Heraeus Seminar “From Sunlight to Fuels - Novel Materials and Processes for Photovoltaic and (Photo)Catalytic Applications” was organized by Prof. Dr. Robert Schlögl (Fritz Haber Institute, Berlin) and Prof. Dr. Klaus Lips and Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech (both of HZB). About 50 participants followed the scientific seminar at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef.
The Wilhelm und Else Heraeus-Stiftung was founded in 1963 as a charitable foundation whose objective is to promote research and education in the natural sciences. The organization of scientific seminars is the foundation’s most important fundraising means and serves as a platform for personal exchange between researchers from around the world.
- 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.
- New contact material boosts the efficiency of perovskite solar cellsA newly developed material for the electron contact improves the efficiency of single perovskite solar cells and perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. The new material is based on a carborane molecule. It offers several advantages over the standard material C60, as shown by the study led by Steve Albrecht’s team. The new material has since been patented and is already commercially available.
- BESSY II: New sample environment allows glimpse into thermocatalytic processesA novel measurement cell allows, for the first time, soft and hard X-ray investigations under high pressures of up to 20 bar and temperatures of up to 400°C. This provides new insights into thermocatalytic processes, such as the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis for producing synthetic fuels. The development of the measurement cell is considered a significant achievement within the Care-O-Sene project.