HZB-Highlights 2022 published
© HZB/M.Setzpfand
The Highlights 2022 report on a selection of the most important research results and events at HZB.
This year, the cyber attack made it much more difficult to compile the highlights 2022. But now it's done! One focus in this report is energy research, in which HZB is extraordinarily successful, from basic research to technology transfer. In 2022, HZB teams developed tandem solar cells with record efficiencies, and there was great progress in research on batteries and "green" hydrogen as well. In addition, HZB further expanded its collaborations with industrial partners fostering innovation in the solar industry in Europe. Selected research results from the fields of information and matter provide insights into the diversity of research at HZB and at our X-ray source BESSY II. The report ends with facts, figures, personalia, a short report on the Diversity Charter and a review of special events such as the visit of the swedish King.
- 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.