Poster award for HZB doctoral student
Congratulation to Javier Villalobos from the Young Investigator Group
Oxygen Evolution Mechanism Engineering at HZB. © HZB
Javier Villalobos has been awarded for the best poster at the International Workshop on Correlated Dynamics in Energy Conversion (IWCE 19) in Göttingen. The doctoral student works in the young investigator group "Oxygen Evolution Mechanism Engineering". His research contributes to a better understanding of electrocatalytic oxygen evolution.
On his poster, Javier Villalobos presented first results on the electrochemical synthesis of spinel oxides, which can be used as catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction. The title of his poster is "Fabrication of defined spinel oxides containing manganese and cobalt by electrodeposition as model electrodes for the oxygen evolution reaction".
The presented results are the first step towards developing a model system for systematic studies on such catalysts. It is crucial to deposit films with controlled composition and microstructure. These materials will soon be investigated using operando methods on BESSY II to better understand the known differences in activity.
"With his poster, Javier Villalobos laid the foundation for a better understanding of the oxygen evolution reaction in order to produce sustainable fuels based on water (e.g. hydrogen) more cheaply," explains Dr. Marcel Risch, supervisor of the project. Since March 2019, he has been setting up a young investigator group at HZB with a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC).
- MXene for energy storage: More versatile than expectedMXene materials are promising candidates for a new energy storage technology. However, the processes by which the charge storage takes place were not yet fully understood. A team at HZB has examined, for the first time, individual MXene flakes to explore these processes in detail. Using the in situ Scanning transmission X-ray microscope 'MYSTIIC' at BESSY II, the scientists mapped the chemical states of Titanium atoms on the MXene flake surfaces. The results revealed two distinct redox reactions, depending on the electrolyte. This lays the groundwork for understanding charge transfer processes at the nanoscale and provides a basis for future research aimed at optimising pseudocapacitive energy storage devices.
- Bernd Rech elected to the BR50 Board of DirectorsThe Scientific Director at Helmholt-Zentrum Berlin is the new face behind the "Natural Sciences" unit at Berlin Research 50 (BR50). Following the election in December 2025, the constituent meeting of the new BR50 Board of Directors took place on 22 January 2026.
Its members are Michael Hintermüller (Weierstrass Institute, WIAS), Noa K. Ha (German Centre for Integration and Migration Research, DeZIM), Volker Haucke (Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology, FMP), Uta Bielfeldt (German Rheumatism Research Centre Berlin, DRFZ) and Bernd Rech (HZB).
- A record year for our living lab for building-integrated PVIn 2025, our solar facade in Berlin-Adlershof generated more electricity than in any of the previous four years of operation.