Young investigator group at HZB: Scaling perovskite cells

Dr. Eva Unger leads the Young Investigator Group Hy-Per-FORME.

Dr. Eva Unger leads the Young Investigator Group Hy-Per-FORME. © privat

The new Young Investigator Group Hy-Per-FORME led by Dr. Eva Unger is working on scaling all processing steps to enable manufacturing of perovskite solar cells on larger areas, thus brigding he gap between lab and industry.

Dr. Eva Unger is starting a Young Investigator Group (YIG) at HZB, co-financed by the Federal Ministry for Education and Science (BMBF). The activities of the Unger group will be an important contribution within the newly-founded HySPRINT Innovation lab aiming at the realization of large-area, stable and efficient hybrid tandem device technology based on a combination of established silicon photovoltaic technology and emerging perovskite semiconductor devices.

To achieve this goal, developing and optimizing scalable deposition methods for the recently evolved hybrid perovskite semiconductors is one of the key aspects. The YIG of Unger therefore focusses on the formation and scaling the deposition of hybrid perovskite semiconductors using slot-die coating and ink-jet printing as a solution-based processing technology.

Originally from Germany, Eva Unger did her PhD at Uppsala University, Sweden and carried out postdoctoral work at Stanford University and Lund University through a stipend from the swedish Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation. Prior to starting the YIG, she has been working as a visiting researcher at Helmholtz Center Berlin funded by an International Career Grant co-funded by the Swedish Research Council and Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions. She will be co-affiliated with Lund University, Sweden and aims to strengthen cooperations with Lund University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Universities in Berlin and Brandenburg.

red.

  • Copy link

You might also be interested in

  • BESSY II: How intrinsic oxygen shortens the lifespan of solid-state batteries
    Science Highlight
    08.05.2026
    BESSY II: How intrinsic oxygen shortens the lifespan of solid-state batteries
    Although solid-state batteries (SSBs) demonstrate high performance and are intrinsically safe, their capacity currently declines rapidly. A team from the TU Wien, Humboldt-University Berlin and HZB has now analysed a TiS₂|Li₃YCl₆ solid-state half-cell in operando at BESSY II using a special sample environment that allows for non-destructive investigation under real operating conditions. Data obtained by combination of soft and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and HAXPES) revealed a new degradation mechanism that had not previously been identified in solid-state batteries. They have gained some surprising insights, particularly regarding the harmful role played by intrinsic oxygen. This study provides valuable information for improving design and handling of such batteries.
  • Electrocatalysts: New model for charge separation at the solid-liquid interface
    Science Highlight
    16.04.2026
    Electrocatalysts: New model for charge separation at the solid-liquid interface
    Hydrogen 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.
  • Theory meets practice – We’re heading back to HTW Berlin!
    News
    07.04.2026
    Theory meets practice – We’re heading back to HTW Berlin!
    The HZB’s BIPV consultancy office (BAIP) is once again coordinating and delivering the lecture series “Building-Integrated Photovoltaics”.