Australian top-chemist gains Helmholtz International Fellowship to visit HZB and HZDR
Prof. Dr. Leone Spiccia will spent research time at HZB next spring.
Prof. Dr. Leone Spiccia from the Monash University Melbourne was awarded the Helmholtz International Fellowship. In addition to the prize money of €20,000 each, he is invited to conduct research at HZB in Berlin and HZDR in Dresden. At HZB he is expected in spring 2015 in the group of Prof. Dr. Emad Aziz. The award honours excellent research and supports establishing new cooperation structures with international research institutions.
Scientists from HZDR and HZB nominated Prof Spiccia. HZB scientists Prof. Dr. Emad Aziz, Prof. Dr. Klaus Lips und Dr. Alexander Schnegg underligned his significant contributions to energy materials research, whereas Dr. Holger Stephan und Prof. Jörg Steinbach from HZDR acknowledged his results on nanomaterials in cancer research.
In total, eight outstanding scientists have been selected as Helmholtz International Fellows this year. Candidates must be nominated for the award by a Helmholtz Centre working in a similar research field as the respective candidates. The quality of the candidates' research is the most important criterion for the award. Nominations may be made at any time. The Helmholtz Executive Committee selects the award winners.
More information at Helmholtz Association
- 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.