New HZB magazine lichtblick is out
The new HZB magazine lichtblick is out! Topics are: green hydrogen, construction projects and green construction for Ukraine, ... We invite you to browse through the online edition.
> Link to the English online edition
> Link to the German online edition
Excellent job: Michelle Browne was recently honoured with two awards: the Curios Mind Award from Manager Magazine and 3rd place in the Academic Young Talent Award. The lively Irishwoman is working hard towards her dream of producing inexpensive green hydrogen. Michael O. R. Kröher from Manager Magazin portrays the HZB researcher in the cover story of lichtblick.
The green reconstruction of Ukraine: As a candidate for EU accession, Ukraine must initiate a series of reforms and develop a reconstruction plan, all in the midst of the Russian war of aggression. A German-Ukrainian-Polish project aims to help make Ukraine's climate and energy policy fit for EU accession.
There is a lot to do: HZB's first detailed greenhouse gas balance sheet is now available. Climate and Energy Manager Carina Hanke explains in an interview which are the biggest CO2 emitters and what we need to do now to achieve our goal of becoming greenhouse gas neutral by 2035.
Many construction sites: a lot of building work will start in 2024, especially at the Adlershof site. The construction department provides a brief insight into new building projects.
Here’s to good collaboration: How can we work well together at HZB and advance our work culture? The Diversity Officers invited people to discuss these questions. Many employees contributed great ideas.
"We still have to keep banging away at it" This is what our new Equal Opportunities Officer says in an interview. " A lot of people shut their eyes and act as though everything’s just fine. Equality has not been achieved yet, despite all our efforts."
We hope you enjoy reading the latest lichtblick issue!
As always, we are very happy to receive topics, suggestions, and feedback!
- 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.