New Helmholtz Young Investigator Group for electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide at HZB has started
Dr. Matthew T. Mayer is setting up a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group in the field of energy materials research at HZB. He investigates how carbon dioxide and water can be converted electrochemically into hydrocarbons such as methane and methanol by using renewable energies. Matthew Mayer will receive 300,000 euros per year over a period of five years.
Researchers are faced with the major challenge of developing new solutions for reducing the harmful emissions of carbon dioxide into our environment. One feasible solution is to use clean energy that will convert carbon dioxide and water electrochemically into hydrocarbons such as methane, methanol and ethylene, which are important raw materials for the chemical industry. The biggest hurdle will be improving the energy efficiency, reaction rates and yields from CO2 catalysis.
Matthew T. Mayer is looking to produce novel electrocatalyst materials possessing heterogeneous bimetallic surfaces. Using synchrotron, X-ray and photoelectron spectroscopy, he will be observing these catalytic processes in situ and in operando in order to reveal detailed chemical information about the catalyst–molecule interactions in real time. In this way, Mayer wishes to deliver new insights into guided catalyst design, catalytic mechanisms and principles of cell design. These insights should help to reveal the potential of electrochemical CO2 reduction as a technology for producing valuable hydrocarbons.
Short Biography
Matthew T. Mayer is from the U.S., where he studied chemistry at Boise State University and earned his Ph.D. at Boston College. He currently heads the “Solar Fuels” group at the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces. Prior to this, he conducted research for several years at Boston College in the USA. He holds two patents and has published numerous papers.
About the Helmholtz Young Investigators Programme
The research programme fosters highly qualified young researchers who completed their doctorate three to six years ago. The heads of the Young Investigator Groups receive support through a tailored training and mentoring programme. One aim of the programme is to strengthen the networking of Helmholtz centres and universities. More information
- Perovskites: the future of PV? - The smarter-E PodcastPerovskites: The Race for the Future of PV?
- Magnetic imaging: Micro-flowers increase the local magnetic fieldMaterials with magnetic nanostructures have many potential applications such as in spintronics. To explore such materials, nanoscale magnetic-sensitive imaging techniques are very useful, but up to now only weak magnetic fields could be applied during the imaging process. Now an international collaboration led by Dr. Sergio Valencia, HZB, has developed an approach that overcomes this limitation. The team designed tiny magnetic flux concentrators (MFCs), into which the sample is placed. The geometry of the MFCs resembles a flower with a number of petals which focus the applied magnetic field into its center. This greatly expands the magnetic field range available during imaging, and so the range of magnetic systems that can be investigated. The micro-flowers, enhancing magnetic fields locally, can find application in different nanometric magnetic microscopy techniques.
- CIGS-perovskite tandem cell achieves record efficiency of 25.5 %A Berlin-based team from HZB and Center for the Science of Materials Berlin (CSMB) at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has set a new record for a tandem solar cell. Using a combination of a CIGS semiconductor layer and perovskite, along with several optimised intermediate layers, they were able to convert 25.5% of sunlight into electrical energy. The previous record for this combination of materials and this size of cell stood at 24.6%. The new record has been certified and is visible in the prestigious Solar Cell Efficiency Tables (the "Green Tables"), which serve as the definitive ledger for the global photovoltaic community.