HZB donates urgently needed protective equipment for doctors’ surgery
© Kassenärztliche Vereinigung/L. Vele
65 boxes filled with protective equipment for doctors' surgeries in Berlin: The photo shows the donated boxes from the Adlershof site. In Wannsee, a similarly large quantity has been collected. We thank you for the great help!
The situation in Berlin's doctors’ surgery is becoming increasingly acute due to the lack of important protective clothing and disinfectants. Some practices have already had to close for this reason. The HZB has therefore decided to provide quick help and is donating 65 boxes of protective clothing that are normally used for work in the laboratories and clean rooms. The boxes were handed over to the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Berlin on 27.03.2020.
"Protective clothing and disinfectants are desperately needed in the medical practices. This is the moment when we as HZB can help unbureaucratically. That is why I am pleased that so many laboratory managers and OE managers have responded to our request and collected protective equipment that is currently not needed," says Thomas Frederking, Commercial Director, and thanks everyone involved for their great willingness to help.
A large number of boxes were collected - both from the stocks at the Wannsee and Adlershof sites. They mainly contain breathing masks, disposable gloves, overalls and disinfectants. The HZB's transport service will personally hand over the donation to the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Berlin today. From there, the protective equipment will be distributed to the doctors in Berlin.
- Prashanth Menezes awarded prestigious VAIBHAV Fellowship by Government of IndiaThe Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, has announced the recipients of the Vaishvik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Fellowship, a flagship initiative aimed at fostering collaboration between the Indian STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) diaspora and leading research institutions in India. Among the 2025 awardees is Dr. Prashanth W. Menezes, Head of the Department of Materials Chemistry for Catalysis at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (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.