© Jessika Sauer
Almost 4,000 People at the Long Night of the Sciences at HZB
© Jessica Sauer
© Jessica Sauer
© Jessica Sauer
© Jessica Sauer
© Jessica Sauer
© Jessica Sauer
© Jessica Sauer
© Jessica Sauer
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin was delighted to welcome nearly 4,000 visitors to its Adlershof campus for the Long Night of the Sciences. It was a fantastic celebration of science, and we thank all our guests for their great interest.
Throughout the evening, people flocked to the Energiestraße on the Kekuléstraße, where a wide-ranging program invited them to stay, explore, and experiment. Visitors could, for example, make himmering chocolate, drive solar-powered cars, build solar cells, or learn about solar façades. The lecture programme focused on how research can support the transition to a climate-neutral and affordable energy supply. We counted 1300 visitors on Kekuléstraße.
With 2,600 guests, our light source BESSY II was once again very well attended. At many stations, visitors conducted hands-on experiments and were amazed. The school lab was also pleased to welcome a steady stream of guests late into the night. There, young and old alike could build lemon batteries or solve an energy quiz. For the first time, our battery research team also had their own stations, where people could build coin cell batteries, among other things. In a "Future Café," we invited guests to discuss with us what a livable city might look like and how research can contribute to shaping it.
For those in need of a break from all the amazement, experimentation, and listening, there was a chance to relax in front of the BESSY II building with music, drinks, and light installations.
What remains? The feeling of how valuable direct exchange is – and how much fun science can be. Thank you to everyone who took part!
- 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.
- Peat as a sustainable precursor for fuel cell catalyst materialsIron-nitrogen-carbon catalysts have the potential to replace the more expensive platinum catalysts currently used in fuel cells. This is shown by a study conducted by researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and universities in Tartu and Tallinn, Estonia. At BESSY II, the team observed the formation of complex microstructures within various samples. They then analysed which structural parameters were particularly important for fostering the preferred electrochemical reactions. The raw material for such catalysts is well decomposed peat.
- Helmholtz Investigator Group on magnonsDr Hebatalla Elnaggar is setting up a new Helmholtz Investigator Group at HZB. At BESSY II, the materials scientist will investigate so-called magnons in magnetic perovskite thin films. The aim is to lay the foundations for future terahertz magnon technology: magnonic devices operating in the terahertz range could process data using a fraction of the energy required by the most advanced semiconductor devices, and at speeds up to a thousand times faster.