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.
- Key technology for a future without fossil fuelsIn June and July 2025, catalyst researcher Nico Fischer spent some time at HZB. It was his sabbatical, he was relieved of his duties as Director of the Catalysis Institute in Cape Town for several months and was able to focus on research only. His institute is collaborating with HZB on two projects that aim to develop environmentally friendly alternatives using innovative catalyst technologies. The questions were asked by Antonia Rötger, HZB.
- Long-term test shows: Efficiency of perovskite cells varies with the seasonScientists at HZB run a long-term experiment on the roof of a building at the Adlershof campus. They expose a wide variety of solar cells to the weather conditions, recording their performance over a period of years. These include perovskite solar cells, a new photovoltaic material offering high efficiency and low manufacturing costs. Dr Carolin Ulbrich and Dr Mark Khenkin evaluated four years of data and presented their findings in Advanced Energy Materials. This is the longest series of measurements on perovskite cells in outdoor use to date. The scientists found that standard perovskite solar cells perform very well during the summer months, even over several years, but decline in efficiency during the darker months.
- Sodium-ion batteries: New storage mechanism for cathode materialsLi-ion and Na-ion batteries operate through a process called intercalation, where ions are stored and exchanged between two chemically different electrodes. In contrast, co-intercalation, a process in which both ions and solvent molecules are stored simultaneously, has traditionally been considered undesirable due to its tendency to cause rapid battery failure. Against this traditional view, an international research team led by Philipp Adelhelm has now demonstrated that co-intercalation can be a reversible and fast process for cathode materials in Na-ion batteries. The approach of jointly storing ions and solvents in cathode materials provides a new handle for designing batteries with high efficiency and fast charging capabilities. The results are published in Nature Materials.