Priority programme for topological insulators begins second funding period
Applicants for support funds to conduct research on topological insulators met at HZB Adlershof on February 15th and 16th. This meeting dealt with the second period of funding for the SPP 1666 Priority programme of the German Research Foundation (DFG) that runs from mid-2016 to 2019. Researchers from across Germany contribute their specific expertise and work together in these Priority programmes (SPPs).
Germany holds a very strong position in the field, in particular through the pioneering work of Laurens Molenkamp from Universität Würzburg, considered by a number of experts in this field as a candidate for the Nobel Prize. Research teams presented a total of 56 projects, of which 37 were recommended for approval. The selection was made by a review committee of international experts.
We are pleased about numerous approved projects on the dynamics of topological insulators – an important area of work at HZB.
For further information: www.helmholtz-berlin.de/topins
- 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.
- Precision interface chemistry pushes perovskite solar cells beyond 26% efficiencyAn international research collaboration has developed a new molecular strategy for controlling one of the most critical interfaces in perovskite solar cells. The resulting solar cells reached a power conversion efficiency of 26.19% in the n i p architecture, together with strong operational stability under prolonged illumination and elevated temperature. The results have been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
- Perovskite triple-junction solar cells: Even more efficient with GO/SAM bilayersPerovskite semiconductors efficiently convert sunlight into electrical energy; they are also inexpensive and extremely lightweight. A team at HZB has developed a triple-junction solar cell comprising different perovskite semiconductors, with a novel bilayer of graphene oxide (GO) and a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) as the hole conductor. This bilayer significantly increases both efficiency and long-term stability. The efficiency of the novel perovskite triple-junction solar cell is 27.3% and shows hardly any decline even after more than 770 hours of operation. The study has been published in the renowned journal Joule.