HZB has signed the “Charta der Vielfalt” (Diversity Charter)
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HZB is an employer that comprehensively strengthens and cares for the diversity of its employees. HZB publicly acknowledges this by signing the Diversity Charter. The charter is run by an association that works to anchor diversity in the working world.
By signing, HZB commits to the following goal:
"At HZB, we promote and value the diversity of our employees. Diversity creates new opportunities for cooperation and creativity for science. Tapping into these potentials and making them sustainable elements of the work culture is our goal."
Here you get to the HZB entry of the Diversity Charter.
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) was the first non-university research institution to undergo the Stifterverband's diversity audit "Shaping Diversity." The certification attests to the HZB's opportunity-oriented concepts and measures for diverse groups of people.
Diversity Charter
4500 companies and institutions have signed the Diversity Charter to date and are committed to an appreciative and prejudice-free working environment. The association thus represents 14.6 million employees in Germany. Here you find the "Diversity Charter in wording" document.
German Diversity Day 2022
Diversity Day will be held for the 10th time in Germany on May 31. HZB will also participate and show its colours! More about this in the near future.
- 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.
- Compact electron accelerator for treating PFAS-contaminated waterSo-called forever chemicals or PFAS compounds are a growing environmental problem. An innovative approach to treating PFAS-contaminated water and soil now comes from accelerator physics: high-energy electrons can break down PFAS molecules into harmless components through a process called radiolysis. A recent study published in PLOS One shows that an accelerator developed at HZB, based on a SRF photoinjector, can provide the necessary electron beam.
- Bright prospects for tin perovskite solar cellsPerovskite solar cells are widely regarded as the next generation photovoltaic technology. However, they are not yet stable enough in the long term for widespread commercial use. One reason for this is migrating ions, which cause degradation of the semiconducting material over time. A team from HZB and the University of Potsdam has now investigated the ion density in four different, widely used perovskite compounds and discovered significant differences. Tin perovskite semiconductors produced with an alternative solvent had a particular low ion density — only one tenth that of lead perovskite semiconductors. This suggests that tin-based perovskites could be used to make solar cells that are not only really environmentally friendly but also very stable.