Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications (HIPOLE Jena) Inaugurated
Wolfgang Tiefensee, Thuringia's Minister of Economics, Science and Digital Society, Prof. Dr Schubert, from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, founding director and spokesperson of HIPOLE and Prof. Dr Yan Lu (HZB), co-spokesperson of HIPOLE at the opening in Jena on 17 June 2024. © Nicole Nerger/Universität Jena
On June 17, 2024, the Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications (HIPOLE Jena) was officially inaugurated in Jena in the presence of Wolfgang Tiefensee, Minister for Economy, Science, and Digital Society of the Free State of Thuringia. The institute was founded by the Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy (HZB) in cooperation with the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. It is dedicated to developing sustainable polymer materials for energy technologies, which are expected to play a key role in the energy transition and support Germany’s goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2045.
HIPOLE Jena focuses on the development of polymer-based batteries, polymer additives for perovskite solar cells, and sustainable materials for energy applications (see info box). These technologies promise efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for energy storage and conversion. The new institute is funded with 5.5 million euros annually by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Free State of Thuringia.
Minister Tiefensee emphasized the importance of HIPOLE Jena at the opening: Research conducted here is highly relevant for the energy transition. He directly addressed the researchers at HIPOLE Jena: "We need your research. We need your move to innovation!" said Tiefensee.
Dr. Peter Schroth, Head of Division at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, highlighted the strategic foresight of establishing a Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications in Jena: "The diverse academic and entrepreneurial environment in which HIPOLE Jena is located ensures excellent prospects for achieving outstanding research results that can be effectively applied."
Thanks to the advance efforts of the Free State of Thuringia, which began construction early, HIPOLE Jena was able to move into a modern laboratory building on the Landgrafen Campus of the University of Jena shortly after its founding. The laboratory rooms were equipped in the first half of 2024, and concrete research in the new labs began in early summer 2024. "We are extremely fast here," says Prof. Dr. Ulrich S. Schubert, founding director of HIPOLE Jena. "With HIPOLE Jena, we are able to give strong impulses to the development of new materials for energy technologies at an international top level." Prof. Bernd Rech, scientific director of HZB, adds that "the expertise in polymer chemistry and its applications at the University of Jena perfectly complements HZB’s experience in photovoltaics, battery research, and the latest methods for investigating chemical processes."
Info Box:
- Polymer-based batteries use polymers (large molecules composed of many repeating chemical subunits) to create lightweight and flexible energy storage solutions. They have the potential to revolutionize the way we store energy.
- Polymer additives for perovskite solar cells enhance the efficiency and durability of perovskite solar cells. These solar cells are made from cost-effective materials and can be applied to a variety of surfaces.
- Sustainable materials for energy applications are developed to avoid the use of crude oil and provide environmentally friendly and efficient solutions for energy storage and conversion. This process at HIPOLE Jena is supported by cutting-edge research methods and artificial intelligence.
Note:
The new institute is funded with 5.5 million euros annually by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Free State of Thuringia, as well as nearly 4.4 million euros by the Carl Zeiss Foundation (CZS). The CZS is financing a professorship for "Sustainable Molecular Catalysis and Light Energy Conversion" and a junior research group to study "Polymers in Energy Applications" until 2030.
- AI agents deliver results – but do they reason scientifically?A research team co-led by Kevin Maik Jablonka from the Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications Jena (HIPOLE Jena) and N. M. Anoop Krishnan from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi has developed Corral, a new benchmark for AI agents in science. The preprint “AI scientists produce results without reasoning scientifically” has been published on arXiv (https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.18805). The analysis shows that current systems can execute scientific workflows and deliver results; however, they often do not follow the basic principles of scientific testing and reasoning.
- Magnetic field during catalyst synthesis triples ammonia yieldApplying an external magnetic field during the synthesis of CoFe₂O₄ electrocatalysts triples the ammonia yield during electrocatalytic conversion. The magnetic field alters the surface states of the spinel oxide thin films, making catalytically active sites more accessible. In the journal 'Advanced Functional Materials', a team led by Marcel Risch at HZB and Sanjay Mathur at University of Cologne demonstrates a scalable strategy for developing next-generation electrocatalysts for efficient and sustainable chemical production.
- Materials chemistry shapes the future of catalysisThe synthesis of materials can serve as a tool for developing smart, adaptive electrocatalysts. This rapidly evolving field of research involves in-situ analytics, data-driven discoveries and autonomous robotics. These new approaches could accelerate the discovery of long-lasting and efficient catalysts for future energy conversion and the decarbonisation of the chemical industry. A recent article by Dr Prashanth Menezes and his team in the renowned journal Angewandte Chemie provides an overview of this research.