HySPRINT Photovoltaics Lab inaugurated
© HZB
After around four years of renovation, photovoltaics research groups moved into their offices in Kekuléstraße on 20 June 2024. With the reopening, the building has also been given a new name that makes the research more visible: it is now called HySPRINT Photovoltaics Lab.
The conversion had become necessary because the ventilation capacity was no longer sufficient for the laboratory activities. The newly installed ventilation system is so large that it is now located on the roof instead of in the building. The supporting structure is a technical platform that stands on 14 supports with a separate foundation virtually inside the building.
To build the stage, the rooms from the basement to the upper floor had to be emptied. The expandable ventilation system now enables the operation of the HySPRINT laboratories and the KOALA laboratory as well as the expansion of other modern laboratories in the building. The technical platform also provides the technical requirements for installing a photovoltaic system on the roof.
Eva Unger, Steve Albrecht and Antonio Abate hosted a barbecue at the opening and thanked all those who helped with the conversion of the building. In their short speeches, they also looked back on the history of the building. They honoured the research that took place in the former Institute for Silicon Photovoltaics and contributed significantly to the reputation of the HZB. A new era has long since begun with perovskite research and world records. In September 2023, the HZB teams won the first Helmholtz High Impact Award for their outstanding research on novel perovskite materials.
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- Self assembling monolayer can improve lead-free perovskite solar cells tooTin perovskite solar cells are not only non-toxic, but also potentially more stable than lead-containing perovskite solar cells. However, they are also significantly less efficient. Now, an international team has succeeded in reducing losses in the lower contact layer of tin perovskite solar cells: The scienstists identified chemical compounds that self-assemble into a molecular layer that fits very well with the lattice structure of tin perovskites. On this monolayer, tin perovskite with excellent optoelectronic quality can be grown, which increases the performance of the solar cell.
- Berlin Science Award goes to Philipp AdelhelmBattery researcher Prof. Dr. Philipp Adelhelm has been awarded the 2024 Berlin Science Award. He is a professor at the Institute of Chemistry at Humboldt University in Berlin (HU) and heads a joint research group at HU and the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB). The materials scientist and electrochemist is investigating sustainable batteries, which play a key role in the success of the energy transition. He is one of the leading international experts in the field of sodium-ion batteries.