On 16 May 2022, HZB received a delegation from the Brazilian Ministry of Research, Technology, and Innovation.
© K. Fuchs / HZB
A high-ranking Brazilian delegation visited HZB
© K. Fuchs / HZB
© K. Fuchs / HZB
© K. Fuchs / HZB
© K. Fuchs / HZB
© K. Fuchs / HZB
© K. Fuchs / HZB
© K. Fuchs / HZB
© K. Fuchs / HZB
On 16 May 2022, HZB received a delegation from the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). Vice-Minister of Science Sergio Freitas de Almeida was visibly impressed by the many research activities being done at HZB to drive the transition to a climate-neutral energy supply in society forward.
The delegation visited HZB in advance of the 9th German–Brazilian Dialogue on Science, taking place from 17 to 20 May 2022 in Berlin. Vice-Minister Sergio Freitas de Almeida was accompanied by State Secretaries José Gontijo (Entrepreneurship and Innovation) and Marcelo Morales (Research and Scientific Training) along with other government representatives.
The delegation toured the X-ray source BESSY II which, of course, is also available to Brazilian researchers. The energy research laboratory EMIL and the new research platform for catalysis research CatLab were also on the tour programme. New catalysts are a key component for producing green hydrogen efficiently and cost-effectively, as well as alternative, sustainable fuels and green raw materials for the chemical industry. The interest of the Brazilian delegation in the development of hydrogen technologies was very high. They were also very interested in cooperation between their light source SIRIUS in Campinas (Sao Paolo) and BESSY II in Berlin.
The discussions with representatives of the Brazilian government inspired all participants to strengthen cooperation in the area of research.
- 5000th patient treated with protons for eye tumoursFor more than 20 years, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have been jointly offering proton radiation therapy for eye tumours. The HZB operates a proton accelerator in Berlin-Wannsee for this purpose, while Charité provides medical care for the patients. The 5000th patient was treated at the beginning of August.
- Iridium-free catalysts for acid water electrolysis investigatedHydrogen will play an important role, both as a fuel and as a raw material for industry. However, in order to produce relevant quantities of hydrogen, water electrolysis must become feasible on a multi-gigawatt scale. One bottleneck is the catalysts required, with iridium in particular being an extremely rare element. An international collaboration has therefore investigated iridium-free catalysts for acidic water electrolysis based on the element cobalt. Through investigations with various methods, among them experiments at the LiXEdrom at the BESSY II X-ray source in Berlin, they were able to elucidate processes that take place during water electrolysis in a cobalt-iron-lead oxide material as the anode. The study is published in Nature Energy.
- Self assembling monolayer can improve lead-free perovskite solar cells tooTin perovskite solar cells are not only non-toxic, but also potentially more stable than lead-containing perovskite solar cells. However, they are also significantly less efficient. Now, an international team has succeeded in reducing losses in the lower contact layer of tin perovskite solar cells: The scienstists identified chemical compounds that self-assemble into a molecular layer that fits very well with the lattice structure of tin perovskites. On this monolayer, tin perovskite with excellent optoelectronic quality can be grown, which increases the performance of the solar cell.