Come along to the Long Night of Science on 6 June from 5 pm to midnight
Make your own batteries: Exciting experiments await our guests of all ages. © HZB
A great atmosphere: we look forward to seeing you! © HZB
What does light reveal about materials? How are new medicines developed? And just how cold is liquid nitrogen? During the Long Night of Science, we’re opening our doors and inviting visitors on a journey of discovery through the world of research.
Highlights at HZB
How does a particle accelerator work – and what can be studied with it?
A highlight is the tour of the BESSY II X-ray source. There, you’ll experience first-hand how our researchers use brilliant X-ray light to examine materials, batteries and biological structures. You will learn how electrons race through the storage ring at nearly the speed of light and how this coveted light for research is produced.
Hands-on experiments
Visitors can grow protein crystals or extract the DNA from a tomato. Experience exciting experiments with liquid nitrogen and learn why a vacuum is indispensable for us. Join us as we make chocolate with tiny structures that shimmer in rainbow colours. In the school laboratory, you’ll explore materials with mysterious properties.
Discovering the energy of the future
How can batteries in the future store more energy, charge faster and become more sustainable? How can new solar cells be brought to market more quickly? We are not only developing more efficient solar materials and technologies, but also collaborating with industry partners.
Find out what possibilities the planned BESSY III X-ray source will offer and how carbon dioxide can be used as a raw material with the help of electrochemical processes.
Tickets
Tickets are available online only and can be purchased here.
Adlershof is the perfect place for you. A varied programme awaits you at many venues here. Here is an overview of what’s on offer at the site.
- 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.
- Cool vaccines in rural Kenya: solar solution has been awarded by UNIn May 2026, Tabitha Awuor Amollo is spending some weeks as a guest scientist at HZB, analysing perovskite thin films at BESSY II. The Kenyan physicist from Egerton University, Nairobi, was recently recognised for her achievements in research and teaching. For the development of a solar-powered refrigeration system for use in rural health centres, she has been awarded the 2026 Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD)-Elsevier Foundation Award. An interview on exceptional projects and daily struggles of a scientist. Questions were asked by Antonia Rötger.
- 83 pupils at Girls'Day at HZBOn 23 April 2026, the annual Girl’s Day took place, giving pupils an insight into various career paths in the fields of science and technology. 83 pupils visited the Adlershof and Wannsee sites and enjoyed a day full of exciting experiments.