Come to the Long Night of the Sciences in Wannsee: 17.06. from 5-0 p.m.
e will open our doors for the Long Night of the Sciences. Get exciting insights into our energy research, visit laboratories and ask us your questions about the energy transition. Our school lab invites you to take part in hands-on experiments - and a science show will keep you pumped up and amazed! Please bring your identity card!
Saturday promises beautiful summer weather and we will open our green, nature-oriented campus in Wannsee for you. Immerse yourself in the world of research for one night and bring lots of questions! At HZB, we work every day to develop materials and solutions for a climate-neutral society. See how ultra thin solar cells can be made and learn what we are doing to make green hydrogen cheaper to produce in large quantities in the future. We are also researching new batteries that can store more energy than conventional ones in Wannsee.
Twelve different laboratories alone are open to you. Experience our research up close: whether crystal structures, atomic layers, solar cells or our high-tech microscopes - there is something interesting for everyone. A guided tour for children "The fantastic properties of light and how to explain them" and a tour of the orchard meadow are also on the programme. In addition, there are exciting lectures, among others on the plastic flood or photovoltaics in building facades.
On the Science Street there are many information stands with experiments. Here you can talk directly to our researchers. Among other things, we will show you how the decommissioned research reactor BER II is to be dismantled in the coming years. In addition, we will present the therapy of eye tumours with protons - this is also carried out at the Wannsee site.
Feel free to take a break in between. Our canteen offers delicious food and drinks. We also cook for you with a solar cooker (when the sun is shining) and invite you to taste our nitrogen ice cream.
When and where?
17.06.2023 from 5-0 op.m.
Helmholtz Centre Berlin
Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1
14109 Berlin
To be reached by shuttle buses from S Wannsee
Access regulations:
For security reasons, the following regulations apply to visits to the HZB: Persons aged 16 and over must present their valid original identity card (alternatively passport). Admission for persons under 16 years of age is only permitted when accompanied by a person of full age.
Tickets:
Adults: €14, reduced €9, family €27 (other ticket types here). Combined ticket with use of public transport and special buses for the Long Night. Tickets for the Long Night can be purchased here. There is also a box office at our Wannsee location.
- 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.