poster prize for Laura Elisa Valle Rios student at the European Crystallographic Meeting (ECM29)
price ceremony at the ECM29
The poster contribution of Laura Elisa Valle Rios (HZB-Department Crystallography) was awarded the CrystEngComm poster price of the Royal Society of Chemistry at the 29th European Crystallographic Meeting (ECM29) in Rovinj (Croatia). Laura Elisa, a PhD student in the Marie-Curie Initial Training network KESTCELLS and the HZB Graduate School "Materials for Solar Energy Conversion" (MatSEC).
She presented results on structural properties of Kesterites (Cu2ZnSnSe4 - CZTSe) in relation to its stoichiometry deviations.
The best performances of Kesterite-based thin film solar cells with converion efficiencies of 12.6% were obtained with an absorber material quite different from the stoichiometric compound Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4, especially with a Cu-poor/Zn-rich composition. Because the electronic properties of a semiconductor are strongly related to its crystal structure, it is of great interest to study the nature of stoichiometry deviations systematically and to connect issues such as phase existence limits.
Laura Elisa Valle Rios synthesized off-stoichiometric CZTSe powder samples by solid state reaction and studied the structural and chemical properties. Here she applied different analytical methods using also the HZB's large scale facilities BESSY II and BER II. Moreover she performed experiments at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) in Oakridge (US). With the results she obtained from complementary neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments she was able to prove that CZTS can accomodate deviations from stoichiometry without collapse of the kesterite type structure by the formation of certain point defects. Laura Elisa could show correlations between chemical composition of the kesterite type semiconductor and intrinsic point defects and defect concentrations. Thus the crystal structure of CZTS can self-adapt to Cu-poor/Zn-rich and Cu-rich/Zn-poor compositions without any structural changes except in terms of the cation distribution.
Laura Elisa Valle Rios works at the HZB (EM-AKR) as a PhD student in the EU-funded Marie-Curie Initial Training Network KESTCELLS (Training for sustainable low cost PV technologies: development of kesterite based efficient solar cells). She is enrolled at the Freie Universtaet Berlin in the joint graduate school "Materials for Solar Energy Conversion" (MatSEC).
- Too old for research at 60? From nuclear physics to papyrus researchA career in science can be personally fulfilling. However, this also means accepting the unpredictable: research topics may no longer receive funding, and laboratories may close. Heinz-Eberhard Mahnke experienced this first-hand when he had to seek new challenges in his early 60s. Today, the 81-year-old is still active in research, using non-destructive measurement methods to examine ancient artefacts of inestimable cultural value. Antonia Rötger spoke with this extraordinary researcher, whose curiosity and drive are truly inspiring.
- Electrocatalysts: New model for charge separation at the solid-liquid interfaceHydrogen is at the heart of the transition to carbon neutrality, as both an energy carrier and a reagent for green chemistry. However, large-scale production of hydrogen via electrolysis, as well as the production of many other chemical products, requires significantly cheaper and more efficient catalysts. A precise understanding of the electrochemical processes that take place at the interface between the solid catalyst and the liquid medium is highly useful for developing better electrocatalysts. In the journal Nature Communications, an European team has now presented a powerful model that determines charge separation at the interface, the formation of the electric double layer and local electric potential variations, and the resulting influence on the catalytic activity.
- AI-driven Catalyst Discovery: €30 million funding for German consortiumSix partners from research and industry, including Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), the Fritz-Haber-Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI), BASF, Dunia Innovations, Siemens Energy, and the Technical University Berlin are launching a joint project to accelerate the catalyst discovery. The German Federal Ministry for Science, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is providing €30 million in funding for ASCEND (Accelerated Solutions for Catalysis using Emerging Nanotechnology and Digital Innovation). The research initiative targets the defossilisation of energy-intensive industries while safeguarding industrial competitiveness, with a focus on the chemical sector. The five-year project will start on 1st April 2026.