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.
- Does African Architecture exist?The world’s first Pan-African Architecture Biennale took place this September in Nairobi, Kenya. People from the worlds of architecture, art, academia and politics from 54 African countries and the diaspora had travelled to Nairobi to exchange ideas on traditional and contemporary building methods, materials, experiences and projects. Samira Aden co-organised this biennial as lead curator. We spoke to her about it.
- Nanosilver as an electrocatalyst for CO₂ reductionVia electrolysis, CO2 can be reduced to CO, a raw material for further chemical products such as fuels. Within the GreenQuest Project, an internation team led by HZB chemist Prashanth Menezes has now systematically investigated catalyst layers made of silver nanoparticles, varying both the size of the particles and their density. The best yield was achieved with nanoparticles with diameters of around 10 nm, which were loosely distributed. Furthermore, they demonstrated how the economic efficiency of the electrochemical cell can be enhanced by integrating an additional chemical reaction at the anode, enabling the simultaneous production of a valuable formic acid, hydrogen, and CO in one device.
- BESSY II: Evaporated perovskites in tandem solar cells improvedPerovskite-silicon tandem solar cells achieve significantly higher efficiencies than silicon solar cells on their own. One particularly attractive method is co-evaporation of the perovskite precursor molecules on top of the silicon subcell. Scientists at HZB have analysed film growth on the nanoscale at BESSY II and found a new way to improve the quality of the perovskite layer: adding a thin seed layer of caesium chloride between the two sub-cells promotes uniform perovskite growth and suppresses the formation of undesired lead iodide at the interface.