Collaborative Research Centre “Nanoscale Metals” raises 11 million euros
Licht wird durch den Nanopartikel fokussiert und die Energie lokal in verschiedene Formen umgewandelt, die dann Chemische Transformation antreiben. © Felix Stete
Several HZB research teams are participating in the new SFB 1636 "Elementary processes of light-driven reactions on nanoscale metals".
Research on Nansoscale Metals
“We are excited and look forward to the new synergies that can arise from this,” says Prof. Matias Bargheer, who is one of the spokespersons for the new Collaborative Research Centre, led by University of Potsdam. The HZB scientists Renske van der Veen, Yan Lu and Alexander Föhlisch are also involved, in addition to the team of Bargheer, who heads a joint research group at the University of Potsdam and HZB.
The research project aims to help understand the elementary processes that trigger light-controlled chemical reactions on metals at the nanoscale. “There are still many unanswered questions at this fascinating transition between physics and chemistry and we can already apply our concepts to organic coupling reactions and polymerisations, e.g. to functionalise nanoparticles asymmetrically,” says Prof. Dr. Matias Bargheer, talking about the struggles as well as the perspectives of their collaborative research.
- Long-term stability for perovskite solar cells: a big step forwardPerovskite solar cells are inexpensive to produce and generate a high amount of electric power per surface area. However, they are not yet stable enough, losing efficiency more rapidly than the silicon market standard. Now, an international team led by Prof. Dr. Antonio Abate has dramatically increased their stability by applying a novel coating to the interface between the surface of the perovskite and the top contact layer. This has even boosted efficiency to almost 27%, which represents the state-of-the-art. After 1,200 hours of continuous operation under standard illumination, no decrease in efficiency was observed. The study involved research teams from China, Italy, Switzerland and Germany and has been published in Nature Photonics.
- Energy of charge carrier pairs in cuprate compoundsHigh-temperature superconductivity is still not fully understood. Now, an international research team at BESSY II has measured the energy of charge carrier pairs in undoped La₂CuO₄. Their findings revealed that the interaction energies within the potentially superconducting copper oxide layers are significantly lower than those in the insulating lanthanum oxide layers. These results contribute to a better understanding of high-temperature superconductivity and could also be relevant for research into other functional materials.
- Electrocatalysis with dual functionality – an overviewHybrid electrocatalysts can produce green hydrogen, for example, and valuable organic compounds simultaneously. This promises economically viable applications. However, the complex catalytic reactions involved in producing organic compounds are not yet fully understood. Modern X-ray methods at synchrotron sources such as BESSY II, enable catalyst materials and the reactions occurring on their surfaces to be analysed in real time, in situ and under real operating conditions. This provides insights that can be used for targeted optimisation. A team has now published an overview of the current state of knowledge in Nature Reviews Chemistry.