Renske van der Veen heads new department "Atomic Dynamics in Light-Energy Conversion"
Renske van der Veen has a lot of experience with ultrafast x-ray measurements. © Irene Böttcher-Gajweski/MPIBC
From June 2021, Dr. Renske van der Veen is setting up a new research group at HZB. The chemist is an expert in time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy and electron microscopy and studies catalytic processes that enable the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy.
Dr. Renske van der Veen successfully obtained a Helmholtz Funding of first-time professorial appointments of excellent women scientists (W2/W3), whereupon the HZB has already initiated an S-W2 appointment procedure at TU Berlin. She has 14 years of experience in the field of ultrafast X-ray methods. "At BESSY II, I can apply and expand this experience in my research project," says van der Veen, emphasising, "The results could also contribute to the scientific case for BESSY III."
Renske van der Veen studied at ETH Zurich, received her PhD from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and conducted research at the California Institute of Technology, the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, and the University of Illinois, where she held an assistant professorship. Her research was honoured with the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering.
At HZB, Renske van der Veen is now looking forward to exchange with research groups working on related topics, from modelling ultrafast energy transfer, developing ultrafast techniques at BESSY II, to developing photoelectrodes and heterogeneous photocatalysts at the Institute for Solar Fuels.
- Fascinating archaeological find becomes a source of knowledgeThe Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments (BLfD) has sent a rare artefact from the Middle Bronze Age to Berlin for examination using cutting-edge, non-destructive methods. It is a 3,400-year-old bronze sword, unearthed during archaeological excavations in Nördlingen, Swabia, in 2023. Experts have been able to determine how the hilt and blade are connected, as well as how the rare and well-preserved decorations on the pommel were made. This has provided valuable insight into the craft techniques employed in southern Germany during the Bronze Age. The BLfD used 3D computed tomography and X-ray diffraction to analyse internal stresses at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), as well as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy at a BESSY II beamline supervised by the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM).
- Element cobalt exhibits surprising propertiesThe element cobalt is considered a typical ferromagnet with no further secrets. However, an international team led by HZB researcher Dr. Jaime Sánchez-Barriga has now uncovered complex topological features in its electronic structure. Spin-resolved measurements of the band structure (spin-ARPES) at BESSY II revealed entangled energy bands that cross each other along extended paths in specific crystallographic directions, even at room temperature. As a result, cobalt can be considered as a highly tunable and unexpectedly rich topological platform, opening new perspectives for exploiting magnetic topological states in future information technologies.
- 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.