Jan Lüning heads HZB Institute for Electronic Structure Dynamics
© HG Medien
The HZB Institute for Electronic Structure Dynamics, newly founded on 1 May, develops experimental techniques and infrastructures to investigate the dynamics of elementary microscopic processes in novel material systems. This will help to optimise functional materials for sustainable technologies.
Prof. Dr. Jan Lüning is an internationally recognised expert in research with synchrotron radiation. Before joining HZB in 2018, he was a professor at Sorbonne University in Paris and worked at the French synchrotron SOLEIL.
Three groups belong to the institute: Dr Ulrich Schade's group operates the IRIS infrared beamline at the BESSY II synchrotron radiation source. He examines molecular processes in novel functional materials that enable, for example, energy conversion or catalytic water splitting.
The group "Ultra-Short-Time Laser Spectroscopy" led by Dr. Iain Wilkinson works in the laser laboratories ULLAS and LIDUX and investigates the dynamics of reactions in aqueous solutions and at aqueous interfaces on ultra-short time scales.
The third group, led by Dr. Christian Schüssler-Langeheine and Dr. Niko Pontius, operates the Femtoslicing Facility at BESSY II and conducts research on materials with complex phase transitions that have the potential to make electronic and magnetic devices smaller, faster and more energy efficient.
The institute's research activities are part of the Helmholtz Association's Programme-Oriented Funding (POF IV) in the Research Field Matter.
- CIGS-perovskite tandem cell achieves record efficiency of 25.5 %A Berlin-based team from HZB and Center for the Science of Materials Berlin (CSMB) at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has set a new record for a tandem solar cell. Using a combination of a CIGS semiconductor layer and perovskite, along with several optimised intermediate layers, they were able to convert 25.5% of sunlight into electrical energy. The previous record for this combination of materials and this size of cell stood at 24.6%. The new record has been certified and is visible in the prestigious Solar Cell Efficiency Tables (the "Green Tables"), which serve as the definitive ledger for the global photovoltaic community.
- Disorder creates new properties in compound semiconductorsAn international research team has demonstrated that the intrinsic disorder of the compound semiconductor CuInSnS₄ can be exploited to influence its optical properties. While the atomic vibrations also sense the local disorder, their response is averaged over many different local environments and therefore appear isotropic, as expected for a cubic crystal. In contrast, the optical excitations, known as excitons, are much more sensitive to the local arrangement of atoms. Surprisingly, they show a direction-dependent optical response even though the average crystal structure is cubic. These findings shed new light on the relationship between disorder and material properties, opening up new options for targeted 'disorder engineering' in optoelectronic and photocatalytic devices.
- Perovskite solar cells: Predictions of long-term stabilityReliable statements about the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells are still difficult to make. However, a new study by Dr Carolin Ulbrich’s team, published in the renowned journal Joule, highlights which methods are useful for this purpose and identifies areas where further research is needed.