HZB Researcher on the Board of Directors of the Materials Research Society
Catherine Dubourdieu is head of the IFOX Institute at HZB and was elected now into the board of directors of the MRS.
In September 2019, Prof. Dr. Catherine Dubourdieu was elected into the Board of Directors of the Materials Research Society (MRS). The MRS is one of the largest scientific associations and has almost 14000 members from various areas of the natural sciences and engineering.
Catherine Dubourdieu heads the HZB-Institute IFOX (Functional Oxides for Energy Efficient Information Technology) and holds a professorship at the Freie Universität Berlin. She investigates the growth and properties of functional oxides and semiconductor materials with the aim of developing energy-efficient devices for information technology, that can be integrated on silicon chips. Over the past 15 years, the physicist has also established numerous collaborations with industry and holds 10 patents. She has already published over 140 articles in peer-review journals and has an excellent international network.
In the Materials Research Society Catherine Dubourdieu has been active for over 20 years, also in responsible functions. As of 2020, Catherine Dubourdieu will be a member of the MRS Board of Directors to support the global materials research community and provide a framework for the various disciplines to collaborate.
The MRS's mission is to advance international interdisciplinary materials research and technology for the benefit of the human society. It was founded in 1973 and today has around 14000 members from various areas of the natural sciences and engineering. The governance of the Society is the responsibility of the Board of Directors, composed of 6 officers and 18 directors, 15 of whom are elected by the membership. One third of the Board is renewed each year. Catherine Dubourdieu will serve in this position over the next three years.
- Electrocatalysis with dual functionality – an overviewHybrid electrocatalysts can produce green hydrogen, for example, and valuable organic compounds simultaneously. This promises economically viable applications. However, the complex catalytic reactions involved in producing organic compounds are not yet fully understood. Modern X-ray methods at synchrotron sources such as BESSY II, enable catalyst materials and the reactions occurring on their surfaces to be analysed in real time, in situ and under real operating conditions. This provides insights that can be used for targeted optimisation. A team has now published an overview of the current state of knowledge in Nature Reviews Chemistry.
- Successful master's degree in IR thermography on solar facadesWe are delighted to congratulate our student employee Luca Raschke on successfully completing her Master's degree in Renewable Energies at the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin - and with distinction!
- BESSY II: Phosphorus chains – a 1D material with 1D electronic propertiesFor the first time, a team at BESSY II has succeeded in demonstrating the one-dimensional electronic properties in phosphorus. The samples consisted of short chains of phosphorus atoms that self-organise at specific angles on a silver substrate. Through sophisticated analysis, the team was able to disentangle the contributions of these differently aligned chains. This revealed that the electronic properties of each chain are indeed one-dimensional. Calculations predict an exciting phase transition to be expected as soon as these chains are more closely packed. While material consisting of individual chains with longer distances is semiconducting, a very dense chain structure would be metallic.