Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde was a guest of HZB
Tour at BESSY II.
Tour through the experimental hall of BER II.
From 15 to 16 March, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde, DGM (German association of materials science), held its closed board meeting and Advisory Council meeting at HZB. The experts took the occasion to visit the synchrotron source BESSY II and the neutron source BER II, gaining an insight into important future projects of HZB.
“It was a great pleasure to be host to the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde, where we had the opportunity to present Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin’s strategies and research infrastructures, which external researchers are also very welcome to use,“ says Prof. Dr. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, scientific director of HZB.
The board members of the DGM visited the control room and experimental hall of BESSY II on 15 March. On 16 March, the DGM Advisory Council toured the neutron guide hall at BER II and the CoreLab “Correlative Microscopy and Spectroscopy”, which is home to latest generation ZEISS electron and ion microscopes for use by external users and employees of HZB.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde is dedicated to promoting continual advancements in topics, structures and careers in the field of materials science and engineering. Its strategies include fostering cooperation between universities, research institutions, companies, and national and international partners, and promoting new collaborative projects. The DGM organises many symposia and congresses that are also important information exchange platforms for many scientists of HZB.
- Porous Radical Organic framework improves lithium-sulphur batteriesA team led by Prof. Yan Lu, HZB, and Prof. Arne Thomas, Technical University of Berlin, has developed a material that enhances the capacity and stability of lithium-sulphur batteries. The material is based on polymers that form a framework with open pores (known as radical-cationic covalent organic frameworks or COFs). Catalytically accelerated reactions take place in these pores, firmly trapping polysulphides, which would shorten the battery life. Some of the experimental analyses were conducted at the BAMline at BESSY II.
- Metallic nanocatalysts: what really happens during catalysisUsing a combination of spectromicroscopy at BESSY II and microscopic analyses at DESY's NanoLab, a team has gained new insights into the chemical behaviour of nanocatalysts during catalysis. The nanoparticles consisted of a platinum core with a rhodium shell. This configuration allows a better understanding of structural changes in, for example, rhodium-platinum catalysts for emission control. The results show that under typical catalytic conditions, some of the rhodium in the shell can diffuse into the interior of the nanoparticles. However, most of it remains on the surface and oxidises. This process is strongly dependent on the surface orientation of the nanoparticle facets.
- KlarText Prize for Hanna TrzesniowskiThe chemist has been awarded the prestigious KlarText Prize for Science Communication by the Klaus Tschira Foundation.