New Opportunities for students in energy research:
Leading scientists presented the research programme for the two new graduate schools, HZB is organising together with HUB and UP.
© Jennifer Bierbaum/HZB
HZB starts two Graduate Schools with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Universität Potsdam
Friday, 27 March 2015, the start of two new graduate schools on solar energy research was celebrated at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). Hybrid4Energy, the Graduate School of Hybrid Materials for Efficient Energy Generation and Information Technologies, is a joint venture of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HUB) and HZB. The Graduate School HyPerCell focuses on a new type of thin film solar cells based on hybrid perovskite absorber materials and is organised by Universität Potsdam (UP) and HZB.
Opened by Prof. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Scientific Director HZB, Prof. Jan-Hendrick Olbertz, President HUB and Prof. Robert Seckler, Vice President for Research and Junior Academics at UP, leading scientists of HZB and both universities gave overviews about the research programmes.
Hybrid4Energy, the Graduate School of Hybrid Materials for Efficient Energy Generation and Information Technologies, is a coordinated programme of the HUB and the HZB. It offers a structured, three-year period of multidisciplinary lectures and research on hybrid organic/inorganic systems for electronic, optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. The knowledge gained will then be applied to the fields of renewable energy and next generation information technology. The programme embraces the full range of experiments and theory, physics and chemistry, as well as fundamental and applied research. This will allow the participants to bridge commonly separated disciplines of research, which will enable novel research approaches and concepts. The research-based training will be supplemented by measures to support the provision of key competences, under the guidance of the Humboldt Graduate School (HGS) of the HUB.
The Graduate School on Perovskites, HyPerCell, is organized by Universität Potsdam (UP) and HZB. Students will work on a new type of thin film solar cells based on so-called organometallic perovskites. Despite the recent achievements reported for perovskite-based solar cells, many basic material properties including charge transport and recombination processes are not yet understood on a fundamental level. Currently, the highest efficiencies for these solar cells are achieved using a lead-based compound. Therefore a partial or complete replacement of this metal by a non-toxic alternative will be one of the goals of the research programme. Since research on perovskite solar cells is highly interdisciplinary, the school will provide PhD students with comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the chemistry and physics of perovskite-based tandem devices during a structured, three-year curriculum. The programme comprises lectures, lab-courses, workshops and seminar, offered by renowned specialists in their respective field. The research-based training will be supplemented by measures to support the provision of key competences, under the guidance of the Potsdam Graduate School (PoGS) of the UP.
More Information on Hybrid4Energy
More Information on HyPerCell
- 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.
- Peat as a sustainable precursor for fuel cell catalyst materialsIron-nitrogen-carbon catalysts have the potential to replace the more expensive platinum catalysts currently used in fuel cells. This is shown by a study conducted by researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and universities in Tartu and Tallinn, Estonia. At BESSY II, the team observed the formation of complex microstructures within various samples. They then analysed which structural parameters were particularly important for fostering the preferred electrochemical reactions. The raw material for such catalysts is well decomposed peat.
- Helmholtz Investigator Group on magnonsDr Hebatalla Elnaggar is setting up a new Helmholtz Investigator Group at HZB. At BESSY II, the materials scientist will investigate so-called magnons in magnetic perovskite thin films. The aim is to lay the foundations for future terahertz magnon technology: magnonic devices operating in the terahertz range could process data using a fraction of the energy required by the most advanced semiconductor devices, and at speeds up to a thousand times faster.