© 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!
- Long-term test shows: Efficiency of perovskite cells varies with the seasonScientists at HZB run a long-term experiment on the roof of a building at the Adlershof campus. They expose a wide variety of solar cells to the weather conditions, recording their performance over a period of years. These include perovskite solar cells, a new photovoltaic material offering high efficiency and low manufacturing costs. Dr Carolin Ulbrich and Dr Mark Khenkin evaluated four years of data and presented their findings in Advanced Energy Materials. This is the longest series of measurements on perovskite cells in outdoor use to date. The scientists found that standard perovskite solar cells perform very well during the summer months, even over several years, but decline in efficiency during the darker months.
- Sodium-ion batteries: New storage mechanism for cathode materialsLi-ion and Na-ion batteries operate through a process called intercalation, where ions are stored and exchanged between two chemically different electrodes. In contrast, co-intercalation, a process in which both ions and solvent molecules are stored simultaneously, has traditionally been considered undesirable due to its tendency to cause rapid battery failure. Against this traditional view, an international research team led by Philipp Adelhelm has now demonstrated that co-intercalation can be a reversible and fast process for cathode materials in Na-ion batteries. The approach of jointly storing ions and solvents in cathode materials provides a new handle for designing batteries with high efficiency and fast charging capabilities. The results are published in Nature Materials.
- 10 million euros in funding for UNITE – Startup Factory Berlin-BrandenburgUNITE – Startup Factory Berlin-Brandenburg has been recognised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as one of ten nationwide flagship projects for science-based start-ups. UNITE is to be established as a central transfer platform for technology-driven spin-offs from science and industry in the capital region. The Helmholtz Centre Berlin will also benefit from this.