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- BR50: How Berlin could be developed into a world-leading science metropolisOn 26 September, not only the Bundestag but also the Berlin House of Representatives will be newly elected. In a position paper, the non-university institutions in the capital that are united in Berlin Research 50 now emphasise what is important for research after the election. In it, they outline 10 demands that the future Senate should implement in order to further strengthen Berlin as a science metropolis.
- Royal Society of Chemistry praises HZB team’s paper on hybrid perovskite structures
For the 10th anniversary collection of its journal, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) selected a paper published by a team from HZB. The paper from HZB is described as one of the most important contributions in the field of solar energy in recent years. The journal praised 23 selected papers that had been often cited or downloaded, and which offered a valuable advantage for further research.
- HZB Highlight Report 2019/2020 is online
What was going on at HZB in 2019 and 2020? Quite a lot! Just take a look at our highlight report, in which we briefly present the most important scientific highlights, for example our world records for tandem solar cells, which teams from HZB were able to achieve.
- New issue of "lichtblick" is online
New technological solutions are needed to curb climate change. Experts agree that green hydrogen is an important building block. By joining forces with internationally renowned research partners and industry, novel catalysts are now to be developed and launched. They are crucial so that green hydrogen can be produced cheaply and efficiently. You can read more about the ambitious goals of the project on the centre page.
- A warm welcome at HZB for our bronze medal winner Felicia LabererWhat a race! At just 20 years old, Felicia Laberer outdistanced the competition in the single kayak at the Paralympics final in Tokyo and won bronze for Germany.
- HZB uses electricity-producing facade wall as real laboratory
In the presence of the State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Energy and Operations of the State of Berlin, Christian Rickerts, the HZB officially commissioned the solar façade of a new research building on 6 September 2021. What makes it so special is that the elegant façade not only generates up to 50 kilowatts of electricity (peak power). It also provides important insights into the behaviour of the solar modules under different weather conditions.
- Paralympics: Colleague Felicia Laberer wins bronze medalFelicia Laberer wins a bronze medal in canoeing at the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo. We are happy with her and congratulate very much. At HZB, the 20-year-old is currently an apprentice as an office management assistant. In June, the canoeist had already earned the European Championship.
- Disorder brings out quantum physical talentsQuantum effects are most noticeable at extremely low temperatures, which limits their usefulness for technical applications. Thin films of MnSb2Te4, however, show new talents due to a small excess of manganese. Apparently, the resulting disorder provides spectacular properties: The material proves to be a topological insulator and is ferromagnetic up to comparatively high temperatures of 50 Kelvin, measurements at BESSY II show. This makes this class of material suitable for quantum bits, but also for spintronics in general or applications in high-precision metrology.
- On the trail of lithium dendrites: How destructive formations develop in batteriesTiny formations inside lithium batteries can severely limit the operating life of an energy storage device. A research team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has now investigated the process behind these formations in greater detail. Their results provide anchor points for the future development of longer-lasting and safer lithium batteries.
- Precision measurements lead to breakthroughs: HZB is planning the construction of a new accelerator-based light source
For the 200th birthday of Hermann von Helmholtz, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is celebrating by hosting a festive event in Berlin-Adlershof. The polymath Helmholtz still inspires researchers to this day, now notably in the planning of an accelerator-based light source of the latest generation, which HZB is presenting at the event. It will generate light of special quality for research. Governing Mayor Michael Müller has stressed the importance of a new light source for the research location Berlin.
- Perovskite solar cells: Interfacial loss mechanisms revealed
Metal-organic perovskite materials promise low-cost and high-performance solar cells. Now a group at HZB managed to de-couple the different effects of self-assembled monolayers of organic molecules (SAMs) that reduce losses at the interfaces. Their results help to optimise such functional interlayers.
- Neutron instrument VSANS will move to Penn State University, USA
At the end of 2019, the Berlin neutron source BER II was shut down as scheduled. To ensure that the high-quality instruments can continue to be used for research, they are moving to suitable neutron sources in Germany and abroad. Now, another move has been agreed upon: The Very Small Angle Scattering Instrument (VSANS) will find a new home at the Breazeale Research Reactor at Penn State University, USA, in spring 2022.
- Review: X-ray scattering methods with synchrotron radiationSynchrotron light sources provide brilliant light with a focus on the X-ray region and have enormously expanded the possibilities for characterising materials. In the Reviews of Modern Physics, an international team now gives an overview of elastic and inelastic X-ray scattering processes, explains the theoretical background and sheds light on what insights these methods provide in physics, chemistry as well as bio- and energy related themes.
- Registration open: HZB Machine Learning Summer School & Hackathon 2021
Registration for the HZB Machine Learning Summer School is now open! Building on the great response last year, the HZB Machine Learning Summer School will be offered again in 2021. You will be able to learn from experts how to leverage machine learning to solve problems in the natural sciences and how to apply your knowledge in exciting real-world hackathon projects, all free of charge. Applications can be submitted until August 22, 2021.
- HZB coordinates European collaboration to develop active agents against CoronaX-ray structure analysis at BESSY II enables the systematic testing of many thousands of molecules that could inhibit the reproduction and virulence of SARS-CoV2 viruses. Now, a team at HZB with partners from Austria and the Czech Republic has set up the NECESSITY project to investigate more than 8000 compounds in a high-throughput procedure and develop active agents against COVID-19.
- Green hydrogen: Why do certain catalysts improve in operation?Crystalline cobalt arsenide is a catalyst that generates oxygen during electrolytic water splitting in the production of hydrogen. The material is considered to be a model system for an important group of catalysts whose performance increases under certain conditions in the course of electrolysis. Now a HZB-team headed by Marcel Risch has observed at BESSY II how two simultaneous mechanisms are responsible for this. The catalytic activity of the individual catalysis centres decreases in the course of electrolysis, but at the same time the morphology of the catalyst layer also changes. Under favourable conditions, considerably more catalysis centres come into contact with the electrolyte as a result, so that the overall performance of the catalyst increases.
- Mehr als nur "Fassade": Nachhaltige Energieversorgung durch SolarfassadenEin Beitrag über die nachhaltige Energieversorgung durch Solarfassaden
- When vibrations increase on cooling: Anti-freezing observedAn international team has observed an amazing phenomenon in a nickel oxide material during cooling: Instead of freezing, certain fluctuations actually increase as the temperature drops. Nickel oxide is a model system that is structurally similar to high-temperature superconductors. The experiment shows once again that the behaviour of this class of materials still holds surprises.
- Helmholtz anniversary exhibition opens in Potsdam
Helmholtz, who was born in Potsdam, is considered one of the most influential natural scientists of his time. 31 August is the 200th anniversary of his birth. To mark the anniversary, the proWissen Potsdam association and the University of Potsdam, in cooperation with the Helmholtz Association, are paying tribute to Helmholtz, the polymath and genius from the Havel, with a two-part exhibition on the red construction fence next to the Education Forum and in the Science Floor in Potsdam.
- Water as a metal - detected at BESSY IIUnder normal conditions, pure water is an almost perfect insulator. Water only develops metallic properties under extreme pressure, such as exists deep inside of large planets. Now, an international collaboration has used a completely different approach to produce metallic water and documented the phase transition at BESSY II. The study is published now in Nature.
- Battery research - SkaLiS project funded with 2.2 million eurosPowerful, compact, and affordable batteries are needed for the energy transition. Groups at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) led by Prof. Yan Lu, Dr. Ingo Manke, and Dr. Sebastian Risse are conducting this research. They are investigating and developing novel types of electrode materials based on sulphur and silicon. Risse is now also coordinating a large project involving teams from HZB as well as from the University of Potsdam near Berlin, the Technische Universität Berlin, the Technische Universität Dresden and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS Dresden.
- Lead-free perovskite solar cells - How fluoride additives improve qualityTin halide perovskites are currently considered the best alternative to their lead-containing counterparts, which are, however, still significantly less efficient and stable. Now, a team led by Prof. Antonio Abate from HZB has analysed the chemical processes in the perovskite precursor solution and the fluoride compounds in detail. Using a clever combination of measurement methods at BESSY II and with NMR at the Humboldt-University Berlin, they were able to show that fluoride prevents the oxidation of tin and leads to a more homogeneous film formation with fewer defects, increasing the quality of the semiconductor layer.
- Faster development of efficient solar cells and LEDs thanks to HZB spin-offScientists from the Helmholtz Innovation Lab HySPRINT at HZB spun off the technology company QYB Quantum Yield Berlin GmbH at the beginning of April 2021. The spin-off is launching LuQY Pro, a ready-to-use measurement instrument that can help develop and optimise optoelectronic components such as solar cells and LEDs in a more efficient and resource-saving manner.
- Virtual visits at HZB and 360° PanoramaDue to Corona, it is currently not possible to welcome groups of visitors at HZB and guide them through the facility. Nevertheless, we open our doors virtually for you and provide insights into research facilities and labs at HZB. Make yourself comfortable and start your own virtual tour through BESSY II. Move through 360-degree images, have a look and linger at selected stations.
- Future information technologies: Topological materials for ultrafast spintronicsA team led by HZB physicist Dr. Jaime Sánchez-Barriga has gained new insights into the ultrafast response of topological states of matter to femtosecond laser excitation. Using time- and spin-resolved methods at BESSY II, the physicists explored how, after optical excitation, the complex interplay in the behavior of excited electrons in the bulk and on the surface results in unusual spin dynamics. The work is an important step on the way to spintronic devices based on topological materials for ultrafast information processing.
- Hi ERN - New headquarters of the Helmholtz Institute in Erlangen inauguratedThe Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg, Hi ERN, in which the HZB is involved, has moved into its new building.
Almost exactly four years lie between the groundbreaking ceremony and the festive inauguration: the new research building of the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energies (Hi ERN) is another address for cutting-edge research.
- DAPHNE - Data for Photon and Neutron ExperimentsData in the petabyte range are produced annually at large-scale facilities. This research data must be stored for at least ten years. Now 19 scientific institutions in Germany, among them HZB, aim to develop common standards for software, data exchange and data repositories to make research data permanently available. The DAPHNE4NFDI project will be funded over the next five years as part of the National Research Data Infrastructure and is coordinated by DESY.
- Solar hydrogen for Antarctica - study shows advantages of thermally coupled approachA team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Ulm University, and Heidelberg University has now investigated how hydrogen can be produced at the South Pole using sunlight, and which method is the most promising. Their conclusion: in extremely cold regions, it can be considerably more efficient to attach the PV modules directly to the electrolyser, i.e. to thermally couple them. This is because the waste heat from the PV modules increases the efficiency of electrolysis in this environment. The results of this study, which has now been published in Energy & Environmental Science, are also relevant for other cold regions on Earth, such as Alaska, Canada, and high mountain regions, for example. In these places, solar hydrogen could replace fossil fuels such as oil and petrol.
- Synchrotrons accelerate corona researchInformation by the German Committee Research with Synchrotron Radiation (KFS).
Synchrotron light sources were originally built to study particles. Today, they are even used in the fight against COVID-19. The projects are as diverse as the fields of the synchrotron users, who come from universities, research institutions and companies like BioNTech. - Tailwind for top research in Germany
Three research centres in the Helmholtz Association have developed a joint future plan for the research conducted at the scientific light sources they operate in Hamburg, Berlin and Dresden. The upgrades proposed in the strategy for their world-class accelerator-based facilities will strengthen Germany as a research location and promote innovations in many different fields. The strategy paper was presented on 28 June at the Helmholtz Symposium “Research Infrastructures of the Future” as a component of the Helmholtz Roadmap.
- VIPERLAB: EU project aims to boost perovskite solar industry in EuropeThe HZB is coordinating a major European collaborative project to open up new opportunities for the European solar industry. The VIPERLAB project involves 15 renowned research institutions from Europe, as well as Switzerland and Great Britain. It will be funded within the framework of the EU's Horizon 2020 programme for the next three and a half years with a total of 5.5 million euros, from which the HZB will receive just under 840,000 euros.
- BESSY II: universal mechanism of regulation in plant cells discoveredIn pioneering work, a German-Japanese research team at BESSY II has been able to determine the 3D structure of a metalloprotein that plays an important role as a catalyst in all plant cells. This involves the DYW deaminase domain of what is referred to as the RNA editosome. The DYW domain alters messenger RNA nucleotides in chloroplasts and mitochondria and contains a zinc ion whose activity is controlled by a very unusual mechanism. The team has now been able to describe this mechanism in detail for the first time. Their study, published in Nature Catalysis, is considered a breakthrough in the field of plant molecular biology and has far-reaching implications for bioengineering.
- CatLab - Starting signal for a new generation of catalystsThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Max Planck Society (MPG) are launching CatLab, their new joint catalysis research centre in Berlin. The inauguration ceremony took place on June 21st in the presence of Dr. Stefan Kaufmann, the Innovation Officer for Green Hydrogen at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Member of the federal Bundestag. High-ranking representatives from science, government, and industry took part.
- Perovskite Solar Cells: Insights into early stages of structure formationUsing small-angle scattering at the PTB X-ray beamline of BESSY II, an HZB team was able to experimentally investigate the colloidal chemistry of perovskite precursor solutions used for solar cell production. The results contribute to the targeted and systematic optimization of the manufacturing process and quality of these exciting semiconductor materials.
- How quantum dots can "talk" to each other
A group at HZB has worked out theoretically how the communication between two quantum dots can be influenced with light. The team led by Annika Bande also shows ways to control the transfer of information or energy from one quantum dot to another. To this end, the researchers calculated the electronic structure of two nanocrystals, which act as quantum dots. With the results, the movement of electrons in quantum dots can be simulated in real time.
- Renske van der Veen heads new department "Atomic Dynamics in Light-Energy Conversion"From June 2021, Dr. Renske van der Veen is setting up a new research group at HZB. The chemist is an expert in time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy and electron microscopy and studies catalytic processes that enable the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy.
- BESSY II: New insights into switchable MOF structures at the MX beamlinesMetal-organic framework compounds (MOFs) are widely used in gas storage, material separation, sensor technology or catalysis. A team led by Prof. Dr. Stefan Kaskel, TU Dresden, has now investigated a special class of these MOFs at the MX beamlines of BESSY II. These are "switchable" MOFs that can react to external stimuli. Their analysis shows how the behaviour of the material is related to transitions between ordered and disordered phases. The results have now been published in Nature Chemistry.
- Perovskite solar cells: Hydrogen bonds measuredThe evaluation of X-ray measurements on methylammonium perovskite semiconductors now shows what role hydrogen bonds play in these materials. In addition, the HZB team showed that radiation damage by soft X-rays to this sensitive class of materials occurs even faster than often expected. Both results provide important information for perovskites materials research for solar cells.
- “The gain in insights for structural biology has continued for five decades”
Prof. Dr. Udo Heinemann works at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, where he has been researching in structural biology for 40 years. From 2008 to 2012, he was a member of the Advisory Board for the Protein Data Bank in Europe. In an interview, he speaks of the value added by the Protein Data Bank for research today, and why it is important that there are specialised beamlines for structural biology analysis in Berlin.
- Hörtipp: Genies – das Vermächtnis von Virchow und Helmholtz
Wir möchten Ihnen eine interessante Folge des rbb-Podcast „Talking Science“ empfehlen: Die beiden Universalgenies Rudolf Virchow und Hermann von Helmholtz haben die Wissenschaft am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts geprägt. Ohne sie hätten wir heute weder eine Kanalisation noch den Magnetresonanztomografen. Was können wir von den beiden für unsere heutige Zeit lernen?
- Berlin Energy Days: Integrated photovoltaics - active areas for the energy transitionThe energy transition needs photovoltaics, and photovoltaics need space. There are large areas that have hardly been used so far: For example, solar cells can be integrated into the shell of buildings and vehicles, or installed in traffic routes, over farmland and flooded opencast mines. On Wednesday, 28 April 2021, experts from the HZB consulting office for builiding integrated PV (BAIP) and other research institutions will present these options. The event will take place as part of the Berlin Energy Days, and participation is free of charge after registration.
- MYSTIIC at BESSY II: New X-ray microscope put into operationA new X-ray microscope has started operation at the Energy Materials in situ Lab (EMIL). It is a scanning transmission X-ray microscope designed to examine both sample surfaces and bulk sample. With the soft X-ray light from BESSY II, it is even possible to localise individual elements and chemical compounds; the spatial resolution is below 20 nanometres.
- Direct observation of the ad- and desorption of guest atoms into a mesoporous hostBattery electrodes, storage devices for gases, and some catalyst materials have tiny functional pores that can accommodate atoms, ions, and molecules. How these guest atoms are absorbed into or released from the pores is crucial to understanding the porous materials' functionality. However, usually these processes can only be observed indirectly. A team from the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has employed two experimental approaches using the ASAXS instrument at the PTB X-ray beamline of the HZB BESSY II synchrotron to directly observe the adsorption process of atoms in a mesoporous model system. The work lays the foundations for new insights into these kinds of energy materials.
- Green hydrogen: "Rust" as a photoanode and its limitsMetal oxides such as rust are intriguing photoelectrode materials for the production of green hydrogen with sunlight. They are cheap and abundant, but in spite of decades of research, progress has been limited. A team at HZB, together with partners from Ben Gurion University and the Technion, Israel, has now analysed the optoelectronic properties of rust (haematite) and other metal oxides in unprecedented detail. Their results show that the maximum achievable efficiency of haematite electrodes is significantly lower than previously assumed. The study demonstrates ways to assess new photoelectrode materials more realistically.
- Virtual tours: Experience the HZB in 360 degrees!
Unfortunately, due to Corona, we are currently unable to receive groups of visitors at HZB and guide them through our centre. Despite Corona, we would like to provide you with insights into HZB. Simply follow our 360-degree tours and experience how we conduct research at the BESSY II accelerator. Further tours are being planned.
- X-ray lightsource at DESY identifies promising candidates for COVID drugsAt DESY's high-brilliance X-ray light source PETRA III, a team from more than 30 research institutions has identified several candidates for active substances against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. They bind to an important protein of the virus and could thus be the basis for a drug against Covid-19. The MX team from HZB examined part of the measurement data with special analysis algorithms in order to identify suitable active substances. The study has now been published in the renowned journal Science.
- Tomography brings insights into the early evolution of bonesModern biology considers bone cells (osteocytes) as essential for bone development and health. However, when bone initially evolved some 400-million years ago, it did not contain bone cells. So why did bone cells evolve? Why was it so advantageous that most subsequent vertebrates have bone cells? A joint team of palaeontologists at Berlin’s natural history museum has now for the first time analysed these structures in 400 million-year-old fossils of marine life at unprecedentedly high resolution and in 3D. To be able to view these structures, tomography experts at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) examined the samples under the focussed ion beam of a scanning electron microscope to calculate 3D images from the data, achieving resolutions in the nanometre range using technology that was initially developed to study battery corrosion.
- New insights into the structure of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskitesIn photovoltaics, organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have made a rapid career. But many questions about the crystalline structure of this surprisingly complex class of materials remain unanswered. Now, a team at HZB has used four-dimensional modelling to interpret structural data of methylammonium lead bromide (MAPbBr3), identifying incommensurable superstructures and modulations of the predominant structure. The study is published in the ACS Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters and was selected by the editors as an Editor's Choice.
- The Radio TEDDY experimental show with the HZB - tune in on Saturdays at 2.40 pm!
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and Radio TEDDY continue their successful cooperation. In the next round, we will provide ideas for six exciting experiments that the Radio TEDDY moderator Leo will conduct for the children in front of the radio. Participating, having fun and arousing curiosity - that's the top priority. Tune in now: every Saturday at 2.40 p.m. and of course you can also listen to the programme online.
- New issue of "lichtblick" onlineThe new issue of lichtblick is about many things that are currently driving us at the Centre: we show that our staff continue to be very creative in their dealings with Corona and are doing everything they can to ensure that research can continue - for example, the development of new prototypes for accelerator components.
- Solar cells: Losses made visible on the nanoscaleSolar cells made of crystalline silicon achieve peak efficiencies, especially in combination with selective contacts made of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). However, their efficiency is limited by losses in these contact layers. Now, for the first time, a team at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the University of Utah, USA, has experimentally shown how such contact layers generate loss currents on the nanometre scale and what their physical origin is. Using a conductive atomic force microscope, they scanned the solar cell surfaces in ultra-high vacuum and detected tiny, nanometre-sized channels for the detrimental dark currents, which are due to disorder in the a-Si:H layer.
- HZB re-certified as a compatibility-friendly company againHZB has been certified as a family-friendly employer since 2011. Now the research centre has successfully completed the re-auditing process and developed further measures to promote a life phase conscious working culture. The certificate is considered a seal of quality for the company's compatibility policy and is awarded by the board of trustees of berufundfamilie Service GmbH.
- Instrument at BESSY II shows how light activates MoS2 layers to become catalystsThin films of molybdenum and sulfur belong to a class of materials that can be considered for use as photocatalysts. Inexpensive catalysts such as these are needed to produce hydrogen as a fuel using solar energy. However, they are still not very efficient as catalysts. A new instrument at the Helmholtz-Berlin Zentrum’s BESSY II now shows how a light pulse alters the surface properties of the thin film and activates the material as a catalyst.
- New skills of Graphene: Tunable lattice vibrationsTechnological innovation in the last century was mainly based on the control of electrons or photons. Now, in the emerging research field of phononics, phonons or vibrations of the crystal lattice attract attention. A team at Freie Universität Berlin and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin showed a graphene-based phononic crystal whose resonant frequency can be tuned over a broad range and has used a helium-ion microscope to produce such a crystal. This is a real breakthrough in the field of phononics, now published in Nano Letters.
- Dental materials science: HZB is part of a research project funded by DFGHow can dental restorations – such as fillings and crowns – be made to last longer? A new research group centered at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Technische Universität (TU) Berlin plans to address this topic by utilizing approaches from both materials science and dentistry. The interdisciplinary ‘InterDent’ research group is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). It will receive an initial funding of €2.1 million Euro over three years. Partners also include the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPI-KG).
- Accelerator physics: Experiment reveals new options for synchrotron light sourcesAn international team has shown through a sensational experiment how diverse the possibilities for employing synchrotron light sources are. Accelerator experts from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), the German federal metrology institute Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), and Tsinghua University in Beijing have used a laser to manipulate electron bunches at PTB's Metrology Light Source so that they emitted intense light pulses having a laser-like character. Using this method, specialised synchrotron radiation sources would potentially be able to fill a gap in the arsenal of available light sources and offer a prototype for industrial applications. The work was published on 24 February 2021 in the leading scientific publication Nature.
- The 4000th eye tumour patient treated with protons at HZB
On 19 February 2021, the 4000th eye tumour patient received irradiation with protons, performed by a joint team from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The number of patients treated in 2020 remained at the previous year's level despite the more difficult corona conditions. The treatment in Berlin-Wannsee is only available for uveal melanomas of the eye. The proton accelerator at HZB is the only therapy site for this disease in Germany.
- The perfect recipe for efficient perovskite solar cellsA long-cherished dream of materials researchers is a solar cell that converts sunlight into electrical energy as efficiently as silicon, but that can be easily and inexpensively fabricated from abundant materials. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin have now come a step closer to achieving this. They have improved a process for vertically depositing a solution made from an inexpensive perovskite solute onto a moving substrate below. Not only have they discovered the crucial role played by one of the solvents used, but they have also taken a closer look at the aging and storage properties of the solution.
- World's first video recording of a space-time crystalA German-Polish research team has succeeded in creating a micrometer-sized space-time crystal consisting of magnons at room temperature. With the help of the scanning transmission X-ray microscope MAXYMUS at Bessy II at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, they were able to film the recurring periodic magnetization structure in a crystal. The research project was a collaboration between scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart, Germany, the Adam Mickiewicz University and the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań in Poland.
- The HZB Graduate Center is here nowThe HZB “DR coordination” is now the HZB Graduate Center. Since the beginning of 2018, the DR coordination has been continuously expanding the offers and standards at the HZB for doctoral researchers and their advisors. The ideas and suggestions that were collected in discussions with numerous stakeholders and in various HZB committees on this topic are leading the path and are incorporated in the set up of a uniform HZB-wide umbrella structure for doctoral researchers and their advisors - the HZB Graduate Center.
- An efficient tool to link X-ray experiments and ab initio theoryThe electronic structure of complex molecules and their chemical reactivity can be assessed by the method of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) at BESSY II. However, the evaluation of RIXS data has so far required very long computing times. A team at BESSY II has now developed a new simulation method that greatly accelerates this evaluation. The results can even be calculated during the experiment. Guest users could use the procedure like a black box.
- Solar hydrogen: Photoanodes made of α-SnWO4 promise high efficienciesPhotoanodes made of metal oxides are considered to be a viable solution for the production of hydrogen with sunlight. α-SnWO4 has optimal electronic properties for photoelectrochemical water splitting with sunlight, but corrodes easily. Protective layers of nickel oxide prevent corrosion, but reduce the photovoltage and limit the efficiency. Now a team at HZB has investigated at BESSY II what happens at the interface between the photoanode and the protective layer. Combined with theoretical methods, the measurement data reveal the presence of an oxide layer that impairs the efficiency of the photoanode.
- HZB and Humboldt University agree to set up a catalysis laboratoryHelmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) have signed a cooperation agreement with the aim of establishing a joint research laboratory for catalysis in the IRIS research building of HU in Adlershof. The IRIS research building offers optimal conditions for the research and development of complex material systems.
- How complex oscillations in a quantum system simplify with timeWith a clever experiment, physicists have shown that in a one-dimensional quantum system, the initially complex distribution of vibrations or phonons can change over time into a simple Gaussian bell curve. The experiment took place at the Vienna University of Technology, while the theoretical considerations were carried out by a joint research group from the Freie Universität Berlin and HZB.
- Call for Application “Helmholtz young investigator groups”
We are looking for young excellent scientists looking for leadership! To participate in the pre-selection, please apply with a two-page outline of your project by February 28, 2020.
- 21.01.: Seminar zu klimaneutralem Planen, Bauen und BetreibenBauwerkintegrierte Photovoltaik (BIPV) bietet in Städten und Gemeinden enorme Möglichkeiten, aktiv zum Klimaschutz beizutragen. Im Seminar geht es um die baurechtlichen Anforderungen, den Brandschutz und den Einsatz verschiedener PV-Materialien.
- Corona Update 07.01.2021 / restriced operationAfter careful assessment of the situation, the HZB management has decided that HZB continue to operate in a very restricted mode. From 11.01.2021 on, the laboratories and BESSY II are opened exclusively for in-house research. Eye tumor therapy continue to take place.
- Accelerator Physics: HF-Couplers for bERLinPro prove resilientIn synchrotron light sources, an electron accelerator brings electron bunches to almost the speed of light so that they can emit the special "synchrotron light". The electron bunches get their enormous energy and their special shape from a standing electromagnetic alternating field in so-called cavities. With high electron currents, as required in the bERLinPro project, the power needed for the stable excitation of this high-frequency alternating field is enormous. The coupling of this high power is achieved with special antennas, so-called couplers, and is considered a great scientific and technical challenge. Now, a first measurement campaign with optimised couplers at bERLinPro shows that the goal can be achieved.
- December issue of lichtblickOn the cover, we introduce Catherine Dubourdieu, who is not only an excellent researcher but also likes the craftsmanship in her work.
- Ernst Eckhard Koch Prize and Innovation Award Synchrotron RadiationThis year, the Friends of HZB awarded the Ernst Eckhard Koch Prize to Dr. Martin Bluschke (MPI for Solid State Research and TU Berlin) for his outstanding doctoral thesis. The European Innovation Award for Synchrotron Radiation went to a team of four physicists for their work on the FERMI free electron laser at the Elettra synchrotron source in Trieste. The award ceremony took place at this year's HZB user meeting, which had to be held digitally this year.
- Two neutron instruments from HZB move to MunichAt the end of 2019, the neutron source used for materials research at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) was shut down as planned. Now the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) in Munich is taking over two scientific instruments from the HZB. The Federal Ministry of Science and Research (BMBF) is funding the relocation and adaptation with 5.62 million euros.
- Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells on the threshold of 30% efficiencyAn HZB team has published a report in the journal Science on the development of its current world record of 29.15% efficiency for a tandem solar cell made of perovskite and silicon. The tandem cell provided stable performance for 300 hours – even without encapsulation. To accomplish this, the group headed by Prof. Steve Albrecht investigated physical processes at the interfaces to improve the transport of the charge carriers.
- Architectural Design drafts for new CatLab Center awardedAn innovative laboratory and office building for catalysis research will be built in Berlin-Adlershof: CatLab is to become an international beacon for catalysis research and drive forward the development of novel catalyst materials, which are urgently required for the production of green hydrogen for the energy transition. In an architectural competition four winning designs have now been selected. All designs include climate friendly solutions.
- CatLab - A beacon for future hydrogen research
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and two Max Planck institutes are building a catalysis research platform named CatLab to achieve leaps of innovation in hydrogen research
Hydrogen as a sustainable fuel source will play a key role in our energy system for the future. Hydrogen-based chemical energy media are needed as long-term storage repositories in the energy system and are crucial for climate-neutral design of industrial processes. The German federal government's National Hydrogen Strategy clearly identifies the great need for research in this area, which will be the foundation for breakthroughs and leaps in innovation. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and two Max Planck institutes – the Fritz Haber Institute (FHI) and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (MPI CEC) – are pooling their expertise for this purpose and together with Humboldt Universität zu Berlin they are jointly establishing the CatLab research platform in Berlin. CatLab is intended as a bridge between pure research and industry, and is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with more than 50 million euros. In total, the five-year development project will cost about 100 million euros.
- Perovskite Solar Cells: paving the way for rational ink design for industrial-scale manufacturingFor the production of high-quality metal-halide perovskite thin-films for large area photovoltaic modules often optimized inks are used which contain a mixture of solvents. An HZB team at BESSY II has now analysed the crystallisation processes within such mixtures. A model has also been developed to assess the kinetics of the crystallisation processes for different solvent mixtures. The results are of high importance for the further development of perovskite inks for industrial-scale deposition processes of these semiconductors.
- User research at BESSY II: Graphite electrodes for rechargeable batteries investigatedRechargeable graphite dual ion batteries are inexpensive and powerful. A team of the Technical University of Berlin has investigated at the EDDI Beamline of BESSY II how the morphology of the graphite electrodes changes reversibly during cycling (operando). The 3D X-ray tomography images combined with simultaneous diffraction now allow a precise evaluation of the processes, especially of changes in the volume of the electrodes. This can help to further optimise graphite electrodes.
- Green hydrogen: buoyancy-driven convection in the electrolyteHydrogen produced by using solar energy could contribute to a climate neutral energy system of the future. But there are hurdles on the way from laboratory scale to large-scale implementation. A team at HZB has now presented a method to visualise convection in the electrolyte and to reliably simulate it in advance with a multiphysics model. The results can support the design and scaling up of this technology and have been published in the renowned journal Energy and Environmental Science.
- Solar cells: Mapping the landscape of Caesium based inorganic halide perovskitesScientists at HZB have printed and explored different compositions of caesium based halide perovskites (CsPb(BrxI1−x)3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1)). In a temperature range between room temperature and 300 Celsius, they observe structural phase transitions influencing the electronic properties. The study provides a quick and easy method to assess new compositions of perovskite materials in order to identify candidates for applications in thin film solar cells and optoelectronic devices.
- Future Information Technologies: Germanium telluride's hidden properties at the nanoscale revealedGermanium Telluride is an interesting candidate material for spintronic devices. In a comprehensive study at BESSY II, a Helmholtz-RSF Joint Research Group has now revealed how the spin texture switches by ferroelectric polarization within individual nanodomains.
- Order in the disorder: density fluctuations in amorphous silicon discoveredFor the first time, a team at HZB has identified the atomic substructure of amorphous silicon with a resolution of 0.8 nanometres using X-ray and neutron scattering at BESSY II and BER II. Such a-Si:H thin films have been used for decades in solar cells, TFT displays, and detectors. The results show that three different phases form within the amorphous matrix, which dramatically influences the quality and lifetime of the semiconductor layer. The study was selected for the cover of the actual issue of Physical Review Letters.
- Modelling shows which quantum systems are suitable for quantum simulationsA joint research group led by Prof. Jens Eisert of Freie Universität Berlin and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has shown a way to simulate the quantum physical properties of complex solid state systems. This is done with the help of complex solid state systems that can be studied experimentally. The study was published in the renowned journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).
- Solar hydrogen: Let’s consider the stability of photoelectrodes
As part of an international collaboration, a team at the HZB has examined the corrosion processes of high-quality BiVO4 photoelectrodes using different state-of-the-art characterisation methods. The result is the first operando stability study of high-purity BiVO4 photoanodes during the photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This work shows how the stability of photoelectrodes and catalysts can be compared and enhanced in the future.
- Nanopatterns of proteins detected by cryo-electron microscopyA team from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) used cryo electron microscopy to detect regular, two-dimensional structures in the form of Pascal triangles in a shock frozen protein material. The samples have been synthesized by a Chinese research group. The method of cryo electron microscopy has the potential for new insights into energy materials as well.
- Perovskite materials: Neutrons show twinning in halide perovskitesSolar cells based on hybrid halide perovskites achieve high efficiencies. These mixed organic-inorganic semiconductors are usually produced as thin films of microcrystals. An investigation with the Laue camera at the neutron source BER II could now clarify that twinning occurs during crystallisation even at room temperature. This insight is helpful for optimising production processes of halide perovskites.
- HZB is one of the best trainers in BerlinThe Berlin-South Employment Agency has awarded the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for an innovative procedure to select applicants for apprenticeships and dual studies not only on the basis of their grades, but also to include communicative and social skills. A total of eight Berlin companies were awarded the Certificate for Young Talent Promotion 2019/2020.
- University of Kassel and HZB establish Joint Lab for the use of artificial intelligence
The University of Kassel and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin are setting up a joint laboratory for the use of artificial intelligence, where they will be developing new experimental methods and improving the analysis of data from experiments performed at BESSY II.
- Carl-Ramsauer-Award for excellent dissertationDr. Raphael Jay has received this year's Carl-Ramsauer-Prize of the German Physical Society of Berlin (DPGzB). The prize honours outstanding dissertations in physics and related fields and will be awarded during a festive colloquium on 18 November 2020 in the Magnus-Haus.
- HZB & IKZ bundle their competencies In crystalline energy and quantum materialsOn September 11, 2020, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ) signed a cooperation agreement to advance joint research on energy and quantum materials. As part of the cooperation, new types of X-ray optics for synchrotron radiation sources are also being developed.
- Solar-cell façade at HZB undergoes real-life testingSolar-modules shimmer bright blue on the cladding of a new building at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). They are special CIGS thin-film modules custom-developed and produced in Germany for integration into the building’s envelope. The solar cladding not only meets part of the power requirement, but is also a realistic laboratory in and of itself: an HZB team is monitoring the long-term behaviour of the modules under varying environmental conditions and evaluating the data.
- Climate Strike on Friday: HZB-Direktor welcomes engagement for climate protection"I find it remarkable and encouraging that more and more citizens are joining the protests of the younger generation and calling for a turnaround for climate protection," says Prof. Bernd Rech, Scientific Director of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). In an open video message on the occasion of the worldwide climate day planned for Friday, he welcomes the fact that HZB staff members want to participate in the actions. At the same time he calls on people not to be afraid of technical changes. "The technologies for a climate-friendly energy supply are available. We must now use them quickly, but we must also improve them and create new options".
- HZB is member of the IGAFA initiative in Adlershof
Since September 2020, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is again a member of IGAFA - the Initiative of Non-University Research Institutions in Adlershof. Prof. Dr. Jan Lüning, scientific director of the HZB, was elected to the association's board.
- HZB and TU Berlin: New joint research group at BESSY IIBirgit Kanngießer is setting up a joint research group to combine X-ray methods in laboratories and at large-scale facilities. In particular, the physicist wants to investigate how X-ray experiments on smaller laboratory instruments can be optimally complemented with more complex experiments that are only possible at synchrotron sources such as BESSY II.
- Radio Teddy berichtet über Experimente aus dem HZBRadio TEDDY macht ein beliebtes Programm für Familien und Kinder nach dem Motto: „Macht Spaß! Macht schlau!“ Nun waren Reporterteams von Radio TEDDY am HZB zu Gast. In den kommenden zwölf Wochen berichten sie nun jeden Samstag um 14:40 über spannende Experimente aus dem HZB: von selbstgebauten Solarzellen über Materialien mit Gedächtnis bis zum Elektromagnetismus. Auf einer Webseite zum "Experiment der Woche" sind auch Videoreportagen über die HZB-Besuche zu sehen.
- HZB newspaper lichtblick published
In the new lichtblick we look with Bernd Rech, spokesman of the scientific management, at the upcoming funding period of the Helmholtz Association, the POF IV. What does it mean for our center? And what exciting topics will be accompanying us in the near future? You will find the answers in the interview on page 2.
- Silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells: New facilities pave the way for industrial-scale production
Perovskites are regarded as promising materials for solar cells, able to be manufactured at low cost while at the same time being extremely efficient. They are particularly suitable for tandem solar cells that combine a cell made of silicon and one of perovskite. As a result, sunlight is more completely used when generating electrical energy. So far, the advantages of such cells have only been available for use at small laboratory scale. With two new, highly innovative production facilities, researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) are now creating the basis for future production on an industrial scale.
- A new cooling tower flying to BESSY's roofEarly September a huge crane near BESSY II could be seen from afar. A series of pictures for you to discover the exciting installation of the fourth cooling tower.
- Upconversion of photons at low light intensities – the key to new applications in energy and bioengineeringThe region of the spectrum that can be utilised for producing electrical energy can be considerably extended by converting low-energy (longer wavelength) photons into high-energy (shorter wavelength) photons. But so far, this has only been possible at high intensities of light. Now for the first time, scientists from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) have been able to produce a usable effect from relatively weak light by combining certain nanoparticles with what is known as a meta-surface. This paves the way for future applications in photovoltaics, for the detection of biological substances, and for electrical-field sensors.
- New Materials for Energy Storage: ERC Starting Grant for Tristan PetitDr. Tristan Petit has received a prestigious Starting Grant from the European Research Council for 1.5 million euros over the next five years. The materials researcher will use the grant to investigate a new class of materials known as MXenes for storing electrical energy. MXenes can store and deliver large amounts of electrical energy extremely quickly. They might play an important role in energy storage alongside batteries and supercapacitors. The ERC Starting Grant is one of the most important European research grants.
- Molecular architecture: New class of materials for tomorrow's energy storageResearchers at the Technische Universität Berlin (TUB) have created a new family of semiconductors, the properties of which were investigated by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). The researchers christened the first member “TUB75”. The material belongs to the class called metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs for short, and could open up new opportunities for energy storage. The work was published in Advanced Materials.
- The shutdown at BESSY II: busy activity in the ring
The storage ring BESSY II is down for nine weeks this year while urgent maintenance is being performed and new components are being installed. That sounds like a lot of down time, but there is a long list of work to be done. There is much going on behind the scenes to ensure that BESSY II will be available as reliably as ever for our guest researchers.
- Research team provides concrete approach to improve the performance of CIGS solar cells
A team of researchers used electron microscopes and computer simulations to investigate where losses occur in thin-film solar cells. The researchers from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) provide specific information on how the already high efficiency of CIGS solar cells can be improved. The results were published in the journal Nature Communication.
- Mathematical tool helps calculate properties of quantum materials more quicklyMany quantum materials have been nearly impossible to simulate mathematically because the computing time required is too long. Now a joint research group at Freie Universität Berlin and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has demonstrated a way to considerably reduce the computing time. This could accelerate the development of materials for energy-efficient IT technologies of the future.
- Best electrolyser/photovoltaics combinations demonstrated in test fieldsOne of the most promising ways to increase the availability of solar energy is to convert excess production into hydrogen. The PECSYS project has investigated the best possible material and technology combinations to facilitate such an operation.
- Humboldt-University Berlin appoints Jan LüningProf. Dr. Jan Lüning, Scientific Director at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), was appointed to an S-W3 professorship at Humboldt University in Berlin in July. The professorship is entitled "Electronic Properties of Materials/X-ray Analysis" and is part of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Humboldt University Berlin.
- Hope for better batteries – researchers follow the charging and discharging of silicon electrodes live
Using silicon as a material for electrodes in lithium-ion batteries promises a significant increase in battery amp-hour capacity.The shortcoming of this material is that it is easily damaged by the stress caused by charging and discharging.Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) have now succeeded for the first time in observing this process directly on crystalline silicon electrodes in detail.Operando experiments using the BESSY II synchrotronprovided new insights into how fractures occur in silicon – and also how the material can nevertheless be utilised advantageously.
- Seminar für Architekt*innen Bauwerkintegrierte Photovoltaik: Architektur – Gestaltung und AusführungIm September veranstaltet die Beratungsstelle für bauwerkintegrierte Photovoltaik (BIPV) „BAIP“ zusammen mit der Architektenkammer Niedersachsen ein Seminar für Architekt*innen zum Thema Bauwerkintegrierte Photovoltaik: Architektur-Gestaltung und Ausführung
- New substance library to accelerate the search for active compoundsIn order to accelerate the systematic development of drugs, the MX team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Drug Design Group at the University of Marburg have established a new substance library. It consists of 1103 organic molecules that could be used as building blocks for new drugs. The MX team has now validated this library in collaboration with the FragMAX group at MAX IV. The substance library of the HZB is available for research worldwide and also plays a role in the search for substances active against SARS-CoV-2.
- Robust high-performance data storage through magnetic anisotropyThe latest generation of magnetic hard drives is made of magnetic thin films, which are invar materials. They allow extremely robust and high data storage density by local heating of ultrasmall nano-domains with a laser, so called heat assisted magnetic recording or HAMR. The volume in such invar materials hardly expands despite heating. A technologically relevant material for such HAMR data memories are thin films of iron-platinum nanograins. An international team led by the joint research group of Prof. Dr. Matias Bargheer at HZB and the University of Potsdam has now observed experimentally for the first time how a special spin-lattice interaction in these iron-platinum thin films cancels out the thermal expansion of the crystal lattice. The study has been published in Science Advances.
- Facts, Research, Expertise: Helmholtz Climate Initiative starts new website
The Helmholtz Climate Initiative has intensively reworked its website. Starting immediately, the Initiative now offers articles, background knowledge, fact sheets, and much more on the current state of climate research at www.helmholtz-klima.de. In a new expert inquiry, the Initiative connects with Helmholtz climate scientists. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) contributes research on the conversion of CO2 into fuels and basic materials to reach the goal of "Net Zero 2050".
- Launch of new catalysis centre in HZB-AdlershofThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is launching a major new project through an interdisciplinary architectural competition: an innovative laboratory and office building for expanding joint catalysis research between the HZB and the Max Planck Society (MPS). Catlab is to become an international beacon for catalysis research that will advance the development of novel catalyst materials urgently needed for the energy transition.
- Enjoy your holidays: Video greetings from Bernd Rech, vol. 4The summer holidays have been startet, time to catch our breath and recharge our batteries. In a video message Bernd Rech reports from the Scientific Retreat. He thanks all colleagues for the creativity with which they found new ways of working together during the pandemic. He is looking forward to the second half of the year, but for now he wishes everyone nice holidays and thanks all those who are holding down the fort at HZB.
- Benchmarking for quantum technologiesDoes a device do what it's supposed to? This question is not only asked in everyday life. Researchers working with quantum technologies also want to know what novel instruments can do. A team led by Prof. Jens Eisert, a physicist at the Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems of Freie Universität Berlin and at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, together with researchers from the Sorbonne University in Paris, have published an overview of tools that can currently be used to compare and certify quantum devices. The review article is published in Nature Reviews Physics.
- Optimize opto-electronic devices with new compact measuring system
In order to develop efficient opto-electronic devices such as solar cells or LEDs, it is crucial to improve the quality of the semiconductors. To achieve this, it is necessary to determine the luminescence yield of the semiconductor material. For this characterization, a research team at HZB has developed a new measuring device that precisely determines the luminescence and is also very compact. In order to evaluate the potential for commercial applications, the team now receives a Field Study Fellowship from the Helmholtz Association.
- Printed perovskite LEDs – an innovative technique towards a new standard process of electronics manufacturing
A team of researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has succeeded for the first time in producing light-emitting diodes (LEDs) from a hybrid perovskite semiconductor material using inkjet printing.This opens the door to broad application of these materials in manufacturing many different kinds of electronic components.The scientists achieved the breakthrough with the help of a trick: "inoculating" (or seeding) the surface with specific crystals.
- User research at BESSY II: Formation of a 2D meta-stable oxide in reactive environments
The chemical behaviour of solid material surfaces is an important physical characteristic for applications of catalysis, chemical sensors, fuel cells and electrodes. A research team from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion has now described an important phenomenon that can occur when metal alloys are exposed to reactive environments at the synchrotron source BESSY II.
- New lichtblick onlineThere is usually a lot of bustle in the school lab at HZB. Children and young people pour in, experiment and ask Ulrike Witte's team questions. For example this one: "Is there actually ultra-green violet?" In the cover story our author Kilian Kirchgessner describes how lively the work with the children is - and how wonderful it is when at the end of the day all the young visitors are amazed, even the coolest.
- Start your accelerator tour - the Long Night of Science in a different wayDue to corona restrictions, unfortunately there will be no Long Night of Science this year. This is not only a pity for all those interested in science, but also for us! We look forward to it every year when many people come to us, asking us questions or being amazed by the huge facilities and laboratories in which we do our research. To make sure that the long night doesn't fall flat, we take you on a virtual journey through our accelerator BESSY II.
- BESSY II: Experiment shows for the first time in detail how electrolytes become metallicAn international team has developed a sophisticated experimental technique at BESSY II to observe the formation of a metallic conduction band in electrolytes. To accomplish this, the team first prepared cryogenic solutions of liquid ammonia containing different concentrations of alkali metals. The colour of the solutions changes with concentration from blue to golden as the individual atoms of metal in solution transition to a metallic compound. The team then examined these liquid jets using soft X-rays at BESSY II and subsequently has been able to analyse this process in detail from the data they acquired combined with theoretical predictions. The work has been published in Science and appears even on the cover.
- HZB has now its own app
The new HZB App allows you to quickly access news, jobs and events, but also find about operational data of BESSY II. Now it is ready for you to use and waiting to be installed on your mobile phone.
- Catalysts: Efficient hydrogen production via structure
Regeneratively produced hydrogen is considered the ecological raw material of the future. In order to produce it efficiently by electrolysis of water, researchers today also investigate perovskite oxides. The Journal of Physics: Energy invited Dr. Marcel Risch from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) to outline the current state of research.
- They are back: Sheep and goats graze the Wannsee campus again
The meadows are lush green, the ice saints (almost) over: Now is the perfect time for the sheep and goats to return from their winter quarters! Until late autumn, they will now graze the near-natural HZB campus in Wannsee and serve the natural preservation of the landscape - completely without a lawn mower.
- New charging points for electric cars installed in AdlershofOn 14 May 2020, two charging points for electric cars were installed near the BESSY II main building. But not only the hybrid company car fleet is to be charged here. Soon, employees will also have the opportunity to charge their private cars at one of the charging points.
- On the road to non-toxic and stable perovskite solar cellsThe promising halide perovskite materials for solar energy conversion show high efficiencies, but this comes at a cost: The best perovskite materials incorporate toxic lead which poses a hazard to the environment. To replace lead by less toxic elements is not easy since lead-free perovskites show lower stability and poor efficiencies. Now, an international collaboration has engineered a new hybrid perovskite material with promising efficiency and stability.
- Future information technologies: 3D Quantum Spin Liquid revealedQuantum Spin Liquids are candidates for potential use in future information technologies. So far, Quantum Spin Liquids have usually only been found in one or two dimensional magnetic systems only. Now an international team led by HZB scientists has investigated crystals of PbCuTe2O6 with neutron experiments at ISIS, NIST and ILL. They found spin liquid behaviour in 3D, due to a so called hyper hyperkagome lattice. The experimental data fit extremely well to theoretical simulations also done at HZB.
- User research at BESSY II: Insights into the visual perception of plantsPlants use light not only for photosynthesis. Although the plant cell does not have eyes, it can still perceive light and thus its environment. Phytochromes, certain turquoise proteins, play the central role in this process. How exactly they function is still unclear. Now a team led by plant physiologist Jon Hughes (Justus Liebig University Gießen) has been able to decipher the three-dimensional architecture of various plant phytochrome molecules at BESSY II. Their results demonstrate how light alters the structure of the phytochrome so that the cell transmits a signal to control the development of the plant accordingly.
- Video greetings from Bernd Rech, vol. 3
After six weeks of minimal operation, life is slowly returning to both HZB locations. The laboratories open, although under strict security precautions. In a video message Bernd Rech tells us that he is very much looking forward to the open laboratories and new results. However, he also emphasises that it is still advisable to work from home in order to avoid infections. He expressly thanks all employees for their creativity and team spirit over the past weeks.
- 04.05.2020 - #Corona: HZB resumes operation step by stepAfter a careful assessment of the situation, the management decided that operations at HZB would be resumed step by step from 4 May onwards. Strict security regulations apply. BESSY II will be available again for in-house research from 11 May. For Sars-CoV-2-relevant measurements a fast access to BESSY II has been established.
- User research at BESSY II: How new materials increase the efficiency of direct ethanol fuel cellsA group from Brazil and an HZB team have investigated a novel composite membrane for ethanol fuel cells. It consists of the polymer Nafion, in which nanoparticles of a titanium compound are embedded by the rarely explored melt extrusion process. At BESSY II they were able to observe in detail, how the nanoparticles in the Nafion matrix are distributed and how they contribute to increase proton conductivity.
- Corona research: Consortium of Berlin research and industry seeks active ingredients
The Berlin biotech company Molox GmbH and a team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have initiated a consortium of regional research groups and BASF. Together, they want to identify a starting point for the development of a potential active substance against the new coronavirus. Targets of potential inhibitors will be SARS-CoV2 proteins that promote the spread or infectivity of the viruses. Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin are also involved in the research work.
- Portrait: The athlete in the lab coatSteve Albrecht is researching on perovskite solar cells and holds several efficiency world records with his team. Back in his schooldays, he was going to become either a competitive gymnast or a scientist. He chose science, but the same athletic ambition still drives his research forward.
- New interaction between light and matter discovered at BESSY IIA German-Chinese team led by Gisela Schütz from the MPI for Intelligent Systems has discovered a new interaction between light and matter at BESSY II. They succeeded in creating nanometer-fine magnetic vortices in a magnetic layer. These are so-called skyrmions, and candidates for future information technologies.
- Freie Universität Berlin appointed Johannes Reuther as W2 professor
On April 6, 2020 Freie Universität Berlin appointed Johannes Reuther to the joint W2 professorship "Theory of Novel Quantum Materials”. The physicist will conduct research at both Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Freie Universität Berlin. The joint appointment will build a bridge between experimental and theoretical physics.
- Tandem solar cell world record: New branch in the NREL chartA special branch in the famous NREL-chart for solar cell world records refers to a newly developed tandem solar cell by HZB teams. The world-record cell combines the semiconductors perovskite and CIGS to a monolithic "two-terminal" tandem cell. Due to the thin-film technologies used, such tandem cells survive much longer in space and can even be produced on flexible films. The new tandem cell achieves a certified efficiency of 24.16 percent.
- Happy Easter Holidays!After three weeks of home office and minimal operation, Bernd Rech addresses all employees again with a short video message. He thanks them for their creativity and open-mindedness and wishes everyone a Happy Easter!
- Neutron research: Magnetic monopoles detected in Kagome spin ice systemsMagnetic monopoles are actually impossible. At low temperatures, however, certain crystals can contain so-called quasi-particles that behave like magnetic monopoles. Now an international cooperation has proven that such monopoles also occur in a Kagome spin ice system. Decisive factors were, among others, measurements with inelastic neutron scattering at the NEAT instrument of the Berlin neutron source BER II*. The results have been published in the journal Science.
- Condensed Matter Physics: Long-standing prediction of quantum physics experimentally proven90 years ago, the physicist Hans Bethe postulated that unusual patterns, so-called Bethe strings, appear in certain magnetic solids. Now an international team has succeeded in experimentally detecting such Bethe strings for the first time. They used neutron scattering experiments at various neutron facilities including the unique high-field magnet of BER II* at HZB. The experimental data are in excellent agreement with the theoretical prediction of Bethe and prove once again the power of quantum physics.
- Corona research at BESSY II: Two days of measuring operation to find the right keyThe Berlin Synchrotron Source BESSY II of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) will resume operation for two days. Scientists intend to use the intense X-ray radiation from BESSY II to search for active substances against the corona virus SARS-CoV2. Almost two hundred samples from an important protein of the virus will be examined in the coming hours. The samples are saturated with different molecules that could be used as components of active substances. The analyses will show whether certain molecules can dock particularly well to the protein molecule and thus hinder the reproduction of the virus. These molecules are best candidates as components of a future drug.
- BESSY II: Ultra-fast switching of helicity of circularly polarized light pulsesAt the BESSY II storage ring, a joint team of accelerator physicists, undulator experts and experimenters has shown how the helicity of circularly polarized synchrotron radiation can be switched faster - up to a million times faster than before. They used an elliptical double-undulator developed at HZB and operated the storage ring in the so-called two-orbit mode. This is a special mode of operation that was only recently developed at BESSY II and provides the basis for fast switching. The ultra-fast change of light helicity is particularly interesting to observe processes in magnetic materials and has long been expected by a large user community.
- HZB donates urgently needed protective equipment for doctors’ surgeryThe situation in Berlin's doctors’ surgery is becoming increasingly acute due to the lack of important protective clothing and disinfectants. Some practices have already had to close for this reason. The HZB has therefore decided to provide quick help and is donating 65 boxes of protective clothing that are normally used for work in the laboratories and clean rooms. The boxes were handed over to the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Berlin on 27.03.2020.
- Coronavirus SARS-CoV2: BESSY II data accelerate drug developmentA coronavirus is keeping the world in suspense. SARS-CoV-2 is highly infectious and can cause severe pneumonia with respiratory distress (COVID-19). Scientists are doing research in order to prevent the viruses from multiplying. A team from the University of Lübeck and from Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) has now found a promising approach. Using the high-intensity X-ray light from the Berlin synchrotron source BESSY II, they have decoded the three-dimensional architecture of the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. This protein is involved in the reproduction of the virus. Analysing its 3D architecture allows the systematic development of drugs which inhibit the reproduction of the virus.
- Neue lichtblick erschienen: Jetzt online lesen
Als wir die "lichtblick" vor zwölf Tagen in den Druck gegeben haben, war die Welt noch eine andere. Doch vielleicht ist die lichtblick gerade jetzt auch ein Zeichen für ein Stück Normalität in unnormalen Zeiten. Etwas Ablenkung vom Nachrichtenfluss, der täglich auf uns einströmt.
- Working in the home office - important IT tools and hints for IT security
Due to the current corona situation, many colleagues work in their home offices. The IT department has published a page on how to conduct video conferences and chats, redirect phone calls or get access to internal resources.
- Fast and furious: New class of 2D materials stores electrical energyTwo dimensional titanium carbides, so-called MXenes, are being discussed as candidates for the rapid storage of electrical energy. Like a battery,MXenes can store large amounts of electrical energy through electrochemical reactions- but unlike batteries,can be charged and discharged in a matter of seconds. In collaboration with Drexel University, a team at HZB showed that the intercalation of urea molecules between the MXene layers can increase the capacity of such "pseudo-capacitors" by more than 50 percent. At BESSY II they have analysed how changes of the MXene surface chemistry after urea intercalation are responsible for this.
- New Helmholtz Young Investigator Group at HZBDr. Felix Büttner will establish a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group (YIG) on topological solitons at the HZB beginning in March 2020. Topological solitons occur in magnetic quantum materials and can contribute to extremely energy-efficient switching processes. Büttner wants to develop a new imaging technique at BESSY II to study these quasi-particles.
- Important News about the Radiation Safety Requirements
As of 1st April 2020, the experiment hall of BESSY II will no longer be a controlled area but a surveillance area and the users are no more required to have the status as radiation workers. This makes an easier access to the experimental hall possible.
- 20 percent more patients were treated with proton therapy in 2019
For more than 20 years, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have jointly offered the irradiation of eye tumors with protons. In 2019, more patients were treated in Berlin-Wannsee than ever before. 276 patients - 20 percent more than in the previous year - underwent proton therapy. The treatment is specialized in choroidal melanomas of the eye. The proton accelerator at HZB is the only treatment facility for this disease in Germany.
- Berlins außeruniversitäre Forschungseinrichtungen schließen sich zusammenBerlin als internationale Wissenschaftsmetropole zu stärken, ist Ziel einer gemeinsamen Initiative der außeruniversitären Forschungseinrichtungen der Hauptstadt. Sie haben sich zur BR 50 (Berlin Research 50) zusammengeschlossen, um künftig gemeinsam Strategien für die Forschung und den Austausch mit Politik und Gesellschaft zu entwickeln. Auch das Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin hat sich der Initiative angeschlossen. Die Kooperation mit den Berliner Universitäten wird hierdurch erleichtert und verstärkt.
- Call for Application “Helmholtz young investigator groups”We are looking for excellent scientists who are interested in working independently on a topic and building up their own group at an early stage of their career.
- New detector accelerates protein crystallography
Last week a new detector was installed at one of the three MX beamlines at HZB. Compared to the old detector the new one is better, faster and more sensitive. It allows to acquire complete data sets of complex proteins within a very short time.
- Doctoral student receives Erhard Höpfner Thesis AwardOn 11 February 2020, Max Grischek received the Erhard Höpfner Thesis Prize, worth 2000 euros, which is awarded by a jury of the Berlin Scientific Society for outstanding theses. Grischek studied at the Technische Universität Berlin and wrote his master thesis in the young investigator research group "Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells" at HZB.
- X-ray microscopy at BESSY II: Nanoparticles can change cellsNanoparticles easily enter into cells. New insights about how they are distributed and what they do there are shown for the first time by high-resolution 3D microscopy images from the lightsources BESSY II and ALBA. For example, certain nanoparticles accumulate preferentially in certain organelles of the cell. This can increase the energy costs in the cell. "The cell looks like it has just run a marathon, apparently, the cell requires energy to absorb such nanoparticles" says lead author James McNally.
- Not everything is ferromagnetic in high magnetic fieldsHigh magnetic fields have a potential to modify the microscopic arrangement of magnetic moments because they overcome interactions existing in zero field. Usually, high fields exceeding a certain critical value force the moments to align in the same direction as the field leading to ferromagnetic arrangement. However, a recent study showed that this is not always the case. The experiments took place at the high-field magnet at HZB's neutron source BER II, which generates a constant magnetic field of up to 26 Tesla. This is about 500,000 times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field. Further experiments with pulsed magnetic fields up to 45 Tesla were performed at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR).
- Battery research: Using neutrons and X-rays to analyse the ageing of lithium batteriesAn international team has used neutron and X-ray tomography to investigate the dynamic processes that lead to capacity degradation at the electrodes in lithium batteries. Using a new mathematical method, it was possible to virtually unwind electrodes that had been wound into the form of a compact cylinder, and thus actually observe the processes on the surfaces of the electrodes. The study was published in Nature Communications.
- CIGSe thin-film solar cells: EU Sharc25 project increases efficiencyThin-film solar cells made of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium (CIGSe) are cost-effective to produce and now achieve efficiencies of significantly more than 20 percent. This level of performance was achieved through post-processing with alkali elements, and the procedures are suitable for industrial-scale production. Insights into the beneficial effect of these alkali treatments from the EU Sharc25 project have now been collected in an article published in Advanced Energy Materials.
- Perovskite solar cells: International consensus on ageing measurement protocolsExperts from 51 research institutions have now agreed on the procedures for measuring the stability of perovskite solar cells and assessing their quality. The consensus statement was published in Nature Energy and is considered a milestone for the further development of this new type of solar cell on its way to industrial application.
- World Record: Efficiency of perovskite silicon tandem solar cell jumps to 29.15 per centIn the race for ever higher efficiency levels, an HZB development team has once again pulled ahead. The groups of Steve Albrecht and Bernd Stannowski have developed a tandem solar cell made of the semiconductors perovskite and silicon, that converts 29.15 per cent of the incident light into electrical energy. This value has been officially certified by the CalLab of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) and means that surpassing the 30 per cent efficiency mark is now within reach.
- Unique X-ray experiments for school classes: The X-ray mobile will arrive at the HZBWhat is ultraviolet radiation? What are X-rays used for? And what is radioactivity again? These questions are on the curriculum in physics lessons, but vivid experiments on these topics are rare. From 5 to 13 March 2020, pupils can conduct experiments on these topics in the HZB's school laboratory in Berlin-Adlershof. The public is invited to attend on 12 March.
- Farewell to the research reactor BER II: brochure on 50 years of neutron research in Berlin-Wannsee
Many guests from politics and academia and employees attended the colloquium on January 13, 2020, at Freie Universität Berlin. They joined us to say goodbye to the exciting and highly productive time of neutron research at BER II.
- Plants absorb lead from perovskite solar cells more than expectedLead from metal-organic perovskite compounds can be absorbed particularly easily by plants. The bioavailability is significantly higher than that of lead from inorganic compounds as found in batteries. This is shown in a study by HZB researcher Antonio Abate with partners in China and Italy, published in Nature communications.
- Bewerbertag am 23. Januar für die Ausbildung Fachinformatiker*in
Wir bieten zwei Ausbildungsplätze für Fachinformatiker mit der Fachrichtung Systemintegration ab September 2020. Ihr arbeitet in einem sehr internationalen Umfeld, absolviert ein Auslandpraktikum u.v.m. Wer Interesse hat, kann einfach am 23. Januar 2020 zur Audition nach Wannsee kommen. Die Auswahl erfolgt in K.O.-Runden. Wer sie meistert, bekommt ein Ausbildungsangebot vom Helmholz-Zentrum Berlin.
- Watching complex molecules at workA new method of infrared spectroscopy developed at BESSY II makes single-measurement observation and analysis of very fast as well as irreversible reaction mechanisms in molecules feasible for the first time. Previously, thousands of such reactions have had to be run and measured for this purpose. The research team has now used the new device to investigate how rhodopsin molecules change after activation by light – a process that is the basis of how we see.
- HZB is now using green electricitySince 1 January 2020, HZB is drawing 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable energies. This reduces CO2 emissions by around 17,400 tons per year (related to 2018). By switching to green electricity, HZB acknowledges its responsibility to contribute to climate protection.
- Topological materials for information technology offer lossless transmission of signalsNew experiments with magnetically doped topological insulators at BESSY II have revealed possible ways of lossless signal transmission that involve a surprising self-organisation phenomenon. In the future, it might be possible to develop materials that display this phenomenon at room temperature and can be used as processing units in a quantum computer, for example. The study has been published in the renowned journal Nature.
- Ernst-Eckhard-Koch-Award and Innovation Award for Research in Synchrotron RadiationThis year, the circle of friends of the HZB awarded the Ernst Eckhard Koch Prize to two young scientists for their outstanding PhD theses. The European Synchrotron Radiation Innovation Award went to a team of physicists from DESY and the Paul Scherrer Institute. The award ceremony took place at this year's User Meeting of the HZB, which was very well attended with over 500 participants and more than 50 exhibitors.
- Cancer research at BESSY II: Binding Mechanisms of Therapeutic Substances DecipheredIn tumor cells, the DNA is altered in comparison to normal body cells. How such changes can be prevented or inhibited is an exciting field of research with great relevance for the development of cancer treatments. An interdisciplinary team has now analysed the possible binding mechanisms in certain therapeutic substances from the tetrazole hydrazide group using protein crystallography at BESSY II.
- Operation of the BER II research reactor ends on 11 December 2019After 46 years of successful research with neutrons, the operation of the Berlin research reactor BER II ends on 11 December 2019. This date was announced by the HZB Supervisory Board on 25 June 2013. The early announcement has enabled the HZB to focus its profile on research into energy materials and the further development of the electron storage ring BESSY II. The BER II is to be dismantled over the next few years.
- Invitation: Climate change - from knowledge to action
Climate change and its causes are undisputed. But how do we get from knowledge to action? What can science contribute to this? On Thursday, 5.12.2019 at 17:00 Clara Mayer (Fridays for Future), Volker Quaschning (HTW Berlin and Scientists for Future), Bernd Rech (scientific director of the HZB) and Kira Vinke (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) will discuss these questions. The event takes place in the Bunsen lecture hall of WISTA in Adlershof and is open to the public. Admission is free.
- More information from microscopy images by computing powerThe first meeting of the Helmholtz Ptychography 4.0 Incubator Project took place at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) on November 27, 2019. Seven Helmholtz Centres intend to jointly develop advanced image data analysis and processing methods in order to extract more information from electron and X-ray microscopy images. In particular, the approach will be to use “virtual lenses” to correct imaging errors and thus considerably increase the resolution of images.
- Distinguished Lecture by Prof. Gisela Schütz on 2nd DezWe would like to invite you to the next HZB Distinguished Lecture on 2nd December 2019 at 3.30 pm in the BESSY II lecture hall in Adlershof. Prof. Dr. Gisela Schütz from Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Stuttgart) will give her lecture about interesting phenomena in magnetic nanomaterials.
- HZB-Award for Technology Transfer 2019: A chip with many application options
Klaus Lips (HZB) and Jens Anders (Univ. of Stuttgart) have won the 2019 HZB Technology Transfer Prize for their electron spin resonance chip that will revolutionise spin analysis (“EPR On A Chip - Eine Revolution in der spinbasierten Analytik“).
- Der landesbeste Feinwerkmechaniker 2019 kommt aus dem HZBBereits im dritten Jahr in Folge darf sich das HZB über einen außergewöhnlichen Erfolg bei der Feinwerkmechaniker-Ausbildung freuen. Shayne Fraiss beendete seine Ausbildung als Bester seines Jahrgangs in Berlin. Wir haben ihn und seine Ausbilder gefragt, was das Geheimrezept für diesen Erfolg ist.
- Perovskite solar cells: Possible aspects of high efficiency uncoveredUsing crystallographic analyses at the Diamond Light Source (DLS) synchrotron in the United Kingdom, an HZB team has demonstrated that hybrid halide perovskites crystallise without inversion centre. Interactions between the organic molecules and adjacent iodine atoms can lead to the formation of ferroelectric domains, which, indirectly, can result in higher solar-cell efficiencies. The formation of these ferroelectric domains cannot occur in purely inorganic perovskites.
- Berlin Science Award: Young Talent Award for Steve AlbrechtOn November 7, 2019, Michael Müller, Governing Mayor of Berlin and Senator for Science and Research, honoured outstanding research achievements for the twelfth time. Prof. Dr. Steve Albrecht was honoured this year with the "Nachwuchspreis" (Young Talent Award) for his research on novel tandem solar cells. Albrecht teaches as a junior professor at the Institute for High Frequency and Semiconductor System Technologies at the Technical University of Berlin and heads the research group "Perovskite Tandem Cells" at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. The Young Talent Award is given to scientists who are not older than 35 years and is endowed with 10,000 euros.
- HZB Postdoc awarded prize for best presentation at ICMSET 19
Dr. Lifei Xi was awarded a prize for the best presentation at the 8th International Conference for Materials Science and Engineering Technology (ICMSET 19) in Singapore. The postdoc works in the Young Investigator group "Oxygen Evolution Mechanism Engineering". His research interests are operando measurements to better understand electrocatalytic reactions.
- X-ray microscopy at BESSY II reveals how antimalaria-drugs might workMalaria is one of the most threatening infectious diseases in the world. An international team has now been able to investigate malaria pathogens in red blood cells in vivo using the BESSY II X-ray microscope and the ALBA and ESRF synchrotron sources. The scientists reveal the mechanisms used by active substances to attack the pathogen. This could contribute to improve treatment strategies and drug design.
- Reaching climate targets with building integrated PhotovoltaicsBy 2050, the building stock in Germany must be almost climate-neutral in order to achieve the climate targets - an ambitious goal. Especially in cities with multi-storey buildings, roof areas alone do not offer sufficient space to cover a significant portion of the electricity demand with photovoltaics. There is now a wide range of façade elements that generate photovoltaic electricity. So far, however, such building-integrated PV modules have rarely been installed. The Advisory Centre for Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BAIP) at HZB wants to change this:
- New instrument at BESSY II commences user operationA new instrument became available to the users of BESSY II on Oct. 28, 2019. The new beamline and apparatus for spin- and angular-resolved photoemission in the Russian-German Laboratory at BESSY II have successfully completed their test phase. They facilitate precise measurements of the electron band structure and spin of different material classes such as topological insulators and magnetic sandwich structures, as well as novel perovskite-based solar-cell materials. A photoelectron microscope has also been developed which is particularly important for nanoscopic structures.
- Jahrestagung FVEE zu aktuellen Herausforderungen der Energiewende„Energy Research for Future – Forschung für die Herausforderungen der Energiewende“ ist das Motto für die Jahrestagung des ForschungsVerbunds Erneuerbare Energien am 22. und 23. Oktober 2019 im Umweltforum Berlin. Auf der Tagung zeigen die Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler u.a. auch aus dem HZB den dringenden Handlungsbedarf auf. Sie analysieren, wo Hemmnisse für eine schnelle Energiewende liegen und wie sie überwunden werden können. Leitplanke für alle Maßnahmen der Politik sollten die Klimaziele von Paris sein.
- HZB awards prize for technology transfer projectOn 15 November, the best innovation project from the HZB will be awarded the Technology Transfer Prize 2019. The award ceremony is open to the public and will take place at 2 p.m. in the BESSY II auditorium at the HZB location in Berlin-Adlershof. All projects submitted to the competition will be presented in an exhibition starting Monday, October 21, initially in Wannsee, and starting November 4 in Adlershof.
- Dynamic pattern of Skyrmions observedTiny magnetic vortices known as skyrmions form in certain magnetic materials, such as Cu2OSeO3. These skyrmions can be controlled by low-level electrical currents – which could facilitate more energy-efficient data processing. Now a team has succeeded in developing a new technique at the VEKMAG station of BESSY II for precisely measuring these vortices and observing their three different predicted characteristic oscillation modes (Eigen modes).
- Poster award for Götz SchuckAt the 5th International Conference on Perovskite Solar Cells and Optoelectronics (PSCO-19) Dr. Götz Schuck received a prize for his poster contribution. The international conference took place from 30.09.2019 to 02.10.2019 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Joint research group for quantum computing and simulationFreie Universität Berlin and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) are now strengthening their cooperation in the field of quantum computing with a new research group. Quantum materials exhibit very interesting properties, which researchers want to use to make data processing significantly faster and more efficient than is currently possible. They can study these materials excellently at synchrotron radiation sources such as BESSY II. It has proven especially promising to predict the material properties in quantum simulations before running the experiments. Taking this approach allows such experiments to be conducted more targetedly.
- Helmholtz Association promotes HZB cooperation with Slovenia on perovskite silicon tandem solar cellsA HZB team has successfully raised funds from the “Helmholtz European Partnering Program” of the Helmholtz Association to expand cooperation with partners of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The topics of the cooperation are tandem solar cells made of perovskite and silicon and, in particular, their precise characterisation.
- HZB Researcher on the Board of Directors of the Materials Research SocietyIn September 2019, Prof. Dr. Catherine Dubourdieu was elected into the Board of Directors of the Materials Research Society (MRS). The MRS is one of the largest scientific associations and has almost 14000 members from various areas of the natural sciences and engineering.
- Faster than ever - neutron tomography detects water uptake by rootsA team of researchers from Potsdam, Berlin and Grenoble was able to visualize the transport of water in soil as well as through roots of lupine plants using ultrafast 3D neutron imaging. The high-speed neutron tomography developed at HZB generates a complete 3D image every 1.5 seconds and is thus seven times faster than before. The method facilitates a better understanding of water and nutrient uptake of crop plants. The measurements were performed at the neutron source of the Laue Langevin Institute (ILL) in Grenoble, France. The method can also be applied to investigate transport processes in various porous material systems.
- Memorandum of Understanding signed between University of Jena and HZBThuringa’s minister of science gives the green light for the cooperation on research into new energy stores: Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) today have laid the foundation for close collaboration with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding. The Centre for Energy and Environmental Chemistry Jena (CEEC Jena) and HZB want to join forces to research novel energy storage materials and systems in the future.
- FOCUS TOPIC: From MIT to Wannsee
For Marcel Risch, it feels like a homecoming: as a student, he had previously run experiments at the Berlin particle accelerator BESSY II. After working for several years at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and then in Göttingen, he is now establishing his own group at HZB – supported by funding from the European Research Council.
- Results of the survey on short-haul flights and information on the climate strike on 20.9.2019173 HZB-employees took part in the internal survey on short-haul flights (as of Wednesday afternoon). 146 of them would be prepared to accept train journeys of up to 12 hours to replace a flight. This result shows a great willingness among the researchers to act in a climate-friendly manner, many of whom are also privately involved and, for example, are taking part in the Climate Strike on 20 September in Berlin (more info below in the text).
- HZB postdoctoral researcher receives Humboldt FellowshipSince September 2019, Yaolin Xu is doing research on the development of advanced lithium batteries with a Humboldt Foundation fellowship. In the future, these batteries could store significantly more energy than conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).
- New sample holder for protein crystallographyAn HZB research team has developed a novel sample holder that considerably facilitates the preparation of protein crystals for structural analysis. A short video by the team shows how proteins in solution can be crystallised directly onto the new sample holders themselves, then analysed using the MX beamlines at BESSY II. A patent has already been granted and a manufacturer found.
- In Memoriam: Charles S. Fadley, Longstanding Collaboration Partner, Power User, Advisor
Charles ‘Chuck’ S. Fadley, a pioneer in photoemission spectroscopy and internationally renowned Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of California, Davis, and Senior Faculty Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA, passed away on the 1st of August 2019. He remained an active and avid researcher until a few weeks before his death at age 77.
- World record for tandem perovskite-CIGS solar cellA team headed by Prof. Steve Albrecht from the HZB will present a new world-record tandem solar cell at EU PVSEC, the world's largest international photovoltaic and solar energy conference and exhibition, in Marseille, France on September 11, 2019. This tandem solar cell combines the semiconducting materials perovskite and CIGS and achieves a certified efficiency of 23.26 per cent. One reason for this success lies in the cell’s intermediate layer of organic molecules: they self-organise to cover even rough semiconductor surfaces. Two patents have been filed for these layers.
- HZB strengthens its technology transferThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) wants to bring technologies to market faster together with industrial partners and use its expertise in materials and energy research to investigate questions from industry in joint projects. The newly established "Technology Transfer and Innovation" department will identify cooperation partners and applications that are of industrial interest.
- Nanoparticles in lithium-sulphur batteries detected with neutron experimentAn HZB team has for the first time precisely analysed how nanoparticles of lithium sulphide and sulphur precipitate onto battery electrodes during the course of the charging cycle. The results can help increase the service life of lithium-sulphur batteries.
- Poster award for HZB doctoral student
Javier Villalobos has been awarded for the best poster at the International Workshop on Correlated Dynamics in Energy Conversion (IWCE 19) in Göttingen. The doctoral student works in the young investigator group "Oxygen Evolution Mechanism Engineering". His research contributes to a better understanding of electrocatalytic oxygen evolution.
- HZB doctoral student won Young Scientist Award
The "Journal of Magnetic Resonance" and the ISMAR (International Society of Magnetic Resonance) awarded Silvio Künstner with a Young Scientist Award for his talk "Rapid Scan EPR-on-a-chip". The doctoral student from the HZB institute for Nanospectroscopy presented current progress in the development of a miniaturized electron spin resonance spectrometer.
- Stellungnahme des FVEE: Ausbaudeckel für Photovoltaik behindert erfolgreiche KlimapolitikDer im EEG von 2012 festgelegte Stopp der Einspeisevergütung durch den 52 GW-Deckel läuft dem erforderlichen massiven Ausbau der Photovoltaik und damit auch den deutschen Klimaschutzzielen diametral entgegen. Stattdessen sollte PV-Strom, der nicht lokal verbraucht werden kann, auch nach Erreichen von 52 GW installierter Leistung ins Netz eingespeist und vergütet werden. Der Forschungsverbund Erneuerbare Energien (FVEE) empfiehlt daher, so schnell wie möglich eine Anschlussregelung zu finden, die den für die Klimaschutzziele erforderlichen Solarausbau sichert.
- Save time using maths: analytical tool designs corkscrew-shaped nano-antennaeFor the first time, an HZB team has derived analytically how corkscrew-shaped nano-antennas interact with light. The mathematical tool can be used to calculate the geometry that a nano-antenna must have for specific applications in sensor technology or information technology.
- World record in tomography: Watching how metal foam formsAn international research team at the Swiss Light Source (SLS) has set a new tomography world record using a rotary sample table developed at the HZB. With 208 three-dimensional tomographic X-ray images per second, they were able to document the dynamic processes involved in the foaming of liquid aluminium. The method is presented in the journal Nature Communications.
- Archaeology at BESSY II: “Invisible ink” on antique Nile papyrus revealedResearchers from the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, Berlin universities and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin studied a small piece of papyrus that was excavated on the island of Elephantine on the River Nile a little over 100 years ago. The team used serval methods including non-destructive techniques at BESSY II. The researchers’ work, reported in the Journal of Cultural Heritage, blazes a trail for further analyses of the papyrus collection in Berlin.
- FOCUS TOPIC: Catching more light in solar cellsChristiane Becker uses microscopic structures to increase the amount of light captured in solar cells and is currently scaling up the technology for industrial application. “On top of everything else, there’s this spirit at HZB that we are working on the renewable energies of the future, and that is incredibly inspiring,” she relates in portrait.
- FOCUS TOPIC: Using BESSY II to combat plastic wastePlastics are excellent materials: extremely versatile and almost eternally durable. But this is also exactly the problem, because after only about 100 years of producing plastics, plastic particles are now found everywhere – in groundwater, in the oceans, in the air, and in the food chain.
- Traditional HZB Neutron School will be continued at ANSTO in AustraliaThis summer, researchers at the Australian neutron source ACNS organised a joint neutron school at Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation ANSTO. The HZB-ANSTO neutron school will take place every two years.
- Accelerator physics: alternative material investigated for superconducting radio-frequency cavity resonatorsIn modern synchrotron sources and free-electron lasers, superconducting radio-frequency cavity resonators are able to supply electron bunches with extremely high energy. These resonators are currently constructed of pure niobium. Now an international collaboration has investigated the potential advantages a niobium-tin coating might offer in comparison to pure niobium.
- Summer in the laboratory: 24 students from all over the world start their summer projectFor eight weeks the summer students are now working on a research project at the Helmholtz Centre Berlin. Experienced scientists of the HZB will support them. On Thursday, 30 August, they will present their results.
- Oldest completely preserved lily discoveredAlready 115 million years ago, tropical flowering plants were apparently very diverse and showed all typical characteristics. This is the conclusion of an international team of researchers led by Clément Coiffard, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. The team reported in the renowned journal Nature Plants on the oldest completely preserved lily, Cratolirion bognerianum, which was discovered at a site in present-day Brazil. With the help of 3D computer tomography at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, details on the back of the fossilised plant could also be analysed. The results raise new questions about the role of the tropics in the development of past and present ecosystems.
- Charge transfer within transition-metal dyes analysedTransition-metal complexes in dye-based solar cells are responsible for converting light into electrical energy. A model of spatial charge separation within the molecule has been used to describe this conversion. However, an analysis at BESSY II shows that this description of the process is too simple. For the first time, a team there has investigated the fundamental photochemical processes around the metal atom and its ligands. The study has now been published in “Angewandte Chemie, international Edition” and is displayed on the cover.
- Utrafast magnetism: electron-phonon interactions examined at BESSY IIHow fast can a magnet switch its orientation and what are the microscopic mechanisms at play ? These questions are of first importance for the development of data storage and computer chips. Now, an HZB team at BESSY II has for the first time been able to experimentally assess the principal microscopic process of ultra-fast magnetism. The methodology developed for this purpose can also be used to investigate interactions between spins and lattice oscillations in graphene, superconductors or other (quantum) materials.
- Steve Albrecht wins the 2019 Karl Scheel PrizeThis year's Karl Scheel Prize from the Physikalische Gesellschaft zu Berlin honours Steve Albrecht of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie for his work in the field of highly efficient tandem solar cell absorbers made of metal-halide perovskites.
- Support for the sheep at Campus WannseeSince mid-May, sheep have been grazing on the Wannsee campus and contributing to landscape conservation. They have now been reinforced: Since 14 June 19, five sheep and five goats have been supporting the existing herd in its "work". Since the goats prefer to eat blackberries and thorny plants, they find ideal conditions on the natural property.
- 1st place for "Glowing Silicon Lake" at the HZB photo competition for the Long Night of ScienceMore than 200 people have chosen their favourite pictures in the photo competition "Moments at the HZB" during the Long Night of Science. The winners have now been chosen, but the decision was extremely close.
- Silver plaque "Sustainable building" for laboratory building in Wannsee
In Wannsee, a new laboratory building for organic chemistry (LE building) was built in just one and a half years, which has now been awarded the silver plaque "Sustainable Building". It is the first HZB building to be certified according to the strict criteria. On the ground floor there is a physical-chemical laboratory for the institute "Functional Oxides for Energy-Efficient Information Technologies (EM-IFOX)".
- 1300 visitors at the HZB location Wannsee at the Long Night of Science
Despite high summer temperatures, the HZB was able to welcome more than 1300 people to the Long Night of Science at Wannsee. This is about 15 percent more than the last time (2017) when the location took part. Visitor magnets were the guided tours through the energy research laboratories and the experimental halls around the research reactor.
- Members of the Berlin House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus) visit Helmholtz-Zentrum BerlinOn 17 June 2019, representatives of the Committee for Science and Research of the Berlin House of Representatives met with the management and scientists of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). During their two-hour visit, they visited energy research laboratories and discussed the campus's prospects for the site after the final shutdown of the BER II research reactor.
- Long Night of Science at HZB's Wannsee site: Solar cells, environmentally friendly hydrogen and a visit to the experimental halls of the research reactorThe sun provides an enormous amount of energy. But can we really use it to cover our energy needs? Can solar energy actually be stored? And how powerful will innovative batteries be? During the Long Night of Science on 15 June 2019 (17:00 - 24:00) at the Helmholtz Centre Berlin in Wannsee, visitors can talk to researchers, discover secret places and interesting details.Bring your identity card with you!
- Photovoltaics are growing faster than expected in the global energy systemDramatic cost reductions and the rapid expansion of production capacities make photovoltaics one of the most attractive technologies for a global energy turnaround. Not only the electricity sector, but also transport, heating, industry and chemical processes will in future be supplied primarily by solar power, because it is already the cheapest form of electricity generation in large parts of the world. This is where opportunities and challenges lie - at the level of the energy system as well as for research and industry. Leading international photovoltaic researchers from the Global Alliance for Solar Energy Research Institutes describe the cornerstones of future developments in an article published in the journal "Science" on 31 May.
- Organic electronics: a new semiconductor in the carbon-nitride familyTeams from Humboldt-Universität and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin have explored a new material in the carbon-nitride family. Triazine-based graphitic carbon nitride (TGCN) is a semiconductor that should be highly suitable for applications in optoelectronics. Its structure is two-dimensional and reminiscent of graphene. Unlike graphene, however, the conductivity in the direction perpendicular to its 2D planes is 65 times higher than along the planes themselves.
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has new scientific management
As of 1 June 2019, Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech and Prof. Dr. Jan Lüning are the new scientific directors of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie. Bernd Rech is responsible for the “Energy and Information” department and Jan Lüning heads the “Matter” department. Thus the HZB Supervisory Board has appointed two internationally recognised experts at the top of HZB.
- Development of a miniaturised EPR spectrometerSeveral research institutions are developing a miniaturized electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) device with industrial partner Bruker to investigate semiconductor materials, solar cells, catalysts and electrodes for fuel cells and batteries. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the "EPR-on-a-Chip" or EPRoC project with 6.7 million euros. On June 3, 2019, the kick-off meeting took place at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin.
- 90 preschool children experiment in the school lab for the Day of the Little Researchers
Once a year the school lab says: Open doors for daycare children! 90 preschool children from five kindergartens experimented in the HZB school lab in Berlin-Adlershof for the nationwide Day of Little Researchers. Using homemade spectroscopes, they studied the properties of light and looked at poster snippets under the microscope. Actions are also planned at the Wannsee site.
- Adolfo Velez Saiz is a professor of accelerator physics at TU Dortmund
Technische Universität Dortmund and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin have jointly appointed Prof. Adolfo Velez Saiz as a professor of accelerator physics. He heads the Cavity Development workgroup at the HZB institute SRF – Science and Technology. With this appointment, HZB is expanding its expertise in the development of new accelerator technologies.
- HZB-Doktorand receives poster awardAt the spring meeting of the Materials Research Society, Jakob Bombsch received an award for his poster on CIGSe absorbers for thin-film photovoltaics. Bombsch is a researcher in the department for Interface Design headed by Prof. Marcus Bär.
- Energy for Antarctica: solar hydrogen as an alternative to crude oil?Volkswagen Foundation funds feasibility study by HZB experts in artificial photosynthesis
The sun shines at the South Pole as well – and in summer almost around the clock. Instead of supplying research stations in the Antarctic with crude oil for producing the electricity and heating they need, solar hydrogen could be produced from sunlight in summer as an alternative. Hydrogen has a high energy density, is easy to store, and can be used as fuel when needed later without polluting the environment. An intriguingly simple idea - but one that raises many questions. Matthias May (HZB) and Kira Rehfeld (Heidelberg University) now want to examine how feasible this kind of solar fuel generation might be in Antarctica. The project is receiving financial support from the Volkswagen Foundation.
- Posterprize for HZB postdoc Prince Saurabh BassiDr. Prince Saurabh Bassi was awarded the poster prize at “International Bunsen-Discussion-Meeting on Fundamentals and Applications of (Photo) Electrolysis for Efficient Energy Storage”. He is a postdoctoral fellow working with Prof. Sebastian Fiechter in the Institute for Solar Fuels.
- Sheep graze the Lise-Meitner-Campus in Wannsee
On 15 May 2019 they arrived at the campus in Berlin-Wannsee: Seven female sheep and two lambs of the domestic sheep breed "Skudde". By autumn, they will graze the semi-natural campus and thus contribute to biodiversity. By doing without extensive mowing, natural wild meadows are to be created that are particularly insect- and bee-friendly.
- Bernd Stannowski is Professor at the Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin
Prof. Dr. Bernd Stannowski has received and accepted a call for a joint S-Professorship for "Photovoltaics" at the Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin. The physicist heads the working group "Silicon Photovoltaics" at the Competence Center Thin Film and Nanotechnology for Photovoltaics Berlin (PVcomB) of the HZB.
- Laser-driven Spin Dynamics in Ferrimagnets: How does the Angular Momentum flow?When exposed to intense laser pulses, the magnetization of a material can be manipulated very fast. Fundamentally, magnetization is connected to the angular momentum of the electrons in the material. A team of researchers led by scientists from the Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy (MBI) has now been able to follow the flow of angular momentum during ultrafast optical demagnetization in a ferrimagnetic iron-gadolinium alloy at the femtoslicing facility of BESSY II. Their results are helpful to understand the fundamental processes and their speed limits. The study is published in Physical Review Letters.
- Copper oxide photocathodes: laser experiment reveals location of efficiency lossSolar cells and photocathodes made of copper oxide might in theory attain high efficiencies for solar energy conversion. In practice, however, large losses occur. Now a team at the HZB has been able to use a sophisticated femtosecond laser experiment to determine where these losses take place: not so much at the interfaces, but instead far more in the interior of the crystalline material. These results provide indications on how to improve copper oxide and other metal oxides for applications as energy materials.
- 3D tomographic imagery reveals how lithium batteries ageLithium batteries lose amp-hour capacity over time. Microstructures can form on the electrodes with each new charge cycle, which further reduces battery capacity. Now an HZB team together with battery researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich, the University of Munster, and partners in China have documented the degradation process of lithium electrodes in detail for the first time. They achieved this with the aid of a 3D tomography process using synchrotron radiation at BESSY II (HZB) as well at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG). Their results have been published open access in the scientific journal "Materials Today".
- Inorganic perovskite absorbers for use in thin-film solar cellsA team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has succeeded in producing inorganic perovskite thin films at moderate temperatures using co-evaporation – making post-tempering at high temperatures unnecessary. The process makes it much easier to produce thin-film solar cells from this material. In comparison to metal-organic hybrid perovskites, inorganic perovskites are more thermally stable. The work has been published in Advanced Energy Materials.
- High-efficiency thermoelectric materials: new insights into tin selenideTin selenide might considerably exceed the efficiency of current record holding thermoelectric materials made of bismuth telluride. However, it was thought its efficiency became enormous only at temperatures above 500 degrees Celsius. Now measurements at the BESSY II and PETRA III synchrotron sources show that tin selenide can also be utilised as a thermoelectric material at room temperature – so long as high pressure is applied.
- "Molecular scissors" for plastic wasteA research team from the University of Greifswald and Helmholtz-Zentrum-Berlin (HZB) has solved the molecular structure of the important enzyme MHETase at BESSY II. MHETase was discovered in bacteria and together with a second enzyme - PETase - is able to break down the widely used plastic PET into its basic building blocks. This 3D structure already allowed the researchers to produce a MHETase variant with optimized activity in order to use it, together with PETase, for a sustainable recycling of PET. The results have been published in the research journal Nature Communications.
- PhD student of HZB earns Best Presentation Award of the Young CrystallographersFrederike Lehmann received a prize for her presentation at the annual conference of the German Society of Crystallography in Leipzig on 28 March 2019. She is doing her doctorate in the Department of Structure and Dynamics of Energy Materials at the HZB under Prof. Dr. Susan Schorr at the Graduate School HyPerCell.
- Catalyst research for solar fuels: Amorphous molybdenum sulphide works bestEfficient and inexpensive catalysts will be required for production of hydrogen from sunlight. Molybdenum sulphides are considered good candidates. A team at HZB has now explained what processes take place in molybdenum sulphides during catalysis and why amorphous molybdenum sulphide works best. The results have been published in the journal ACS Catalysis.
- HZB contributions to special edition on Ultrafast Dynamics with X-ray MethodsIn the new special issue of the "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London", internationally renowned experts report on new developments in X-ray sources and ultrafast time-resolved experiments. HZB physicists have also been invited to contribute.
- Godehard Wüstefeld receives the Horst Klein Research PrizeThe physicist Dr. Godehard Wüstefeld was awarded the Horst Klein Research Prize at the annual conference of the German Physical Society. The award recognizes his outstanding scientific achievements in accelerator physics in the development of BESSY II and BESSY VSR.
- X-ray analysis of carbon nanostructures helps material designNanostructures made of carbon are extremely versatile: they can absorb ions in batteries and supercapacitors, store gases, and desalinate water. How well they cope with the task at hand depends largely on the structural features of the nanopores. A new study from the HZB has now shown that structural changes that occur due to morphology transition with increasing temperature of the synthesis can also be measured directly – using small-angle X-ray scattering. The results have now been published in the journal Carbon.
- Poster award for Johannes SutterJohannes Sutter, PhD student at HZB, was awarded a poster prize at the "International Conference on Perovskite Solar Cells, Photonics and Optoelectronics (NIPHO19)". The conference took place from 25-27 February 2019 in Jerusalem.
- Marcel Risch to form research group at the HZB with an ERC Starting GrantThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) will be further strengthened in its research on solar fuels. Dr. Marcel Risch, who recently obtained an ERC Starting Grants, is moving from Georg August Universität, Göttingen to the HZB. Starting in March 2019, the materials physicist will set up his own research group to analyse and improve catalytic materials for water splitting.
- Thin-film PV is key technology to drive global energy transitionThe German research institutes ZSW and HZB see huge potential in CIGS for both climate and business. CIGS thin-film PV is set to become a key pillar of the global transition towards renewable energy sources. With its high performance, low costs, small carbon footprint, and visual appearance, CIGS has some considerable advantages against other technologies, especially when it comes to highly demanding applications like buildings and vehicles. A new whitepaper compiled by ZSW and HZB describes in detail the benefits of CIGS and the huge business opportunities arising from it.
- Water is more homogeneous than expectedIn order to explain the known anomalies in water, some researchers assume that water consists of a mixture of two phases even under ambient conditions. However, new X-ray spectroscopic analyses at BESSY II, ESRF and Swiss Light Source show that this is not the case. At room temperature and normal pressure, the water molecules form a fluctuating network with an average of 1.74 ± 2.1% donor and acceptor hydrogen bridge bonds per molecule each, allowing tetrahedral coordination between close neighbours.
- Spintronics by “straintronics”: Superferromagnetism with electric-field induced strainData storage in today’s magnetic media is very energy consuming. Combination of novel materials and the coupling between their properties could reduce the energy needed to control magnetic memories thus contributing to a smaller carbon footprint of the IT sector. Now an international team led by HZB has observed at the HZB lightsource BESSY II a new phenomenon in iron nanograins: whereas normally the magnetic moments of the iron grains are disordered with respect each other at room temperature, this can be changed by applying an electric field: This field induces locally a strain on the system leading to the formation of a so-called superferromagnetic ordered state.
- HZB to participate in two Clusters of ExcellenceScientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) are researching novel systems of materials that can convert or store energy. The HZB will now also be contributing this expertise to the "MATH+" and "UniSysCat" Excellence Clusters being coordinated by Berlin universities. Over the next three years, the Helmholtz Association will fund HZB's participation under the Helmholtz Excellence Network with a total of 1.8 million euros.
- Towards the Climate Neutral City: Independent consulting office for integrating photovoltaics into buildingsThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is opening a national consulting office for integrating photovoltaics into buildings (BAIP) this spring. The consulting office will support building owners, architects, and municipal planners in activating building envelopes for power generation. The project is being funded by the Helmholtz Association over a period of four years as part of its knowledge transfer programme.
- Ultra-thin and extremely efficient: Thin-film tandem cells made of perovskite and CIGSe semiconductorsAn HZB team has fabricated and characterised a thin-film tandem solar cell made of perovskite and CIGSe. They relied on a simple, robust fabrication process that is also suitable for scaling up to large surface areas. The tandem solar cell is a fully thin film device with an impressive efficiency of 21.6 %. With further improvements it might reach efficiencies above 30 %.
- Batteries with silicon anodes: Neutron experiments show how formation of surface structures reduces amp-hour capacityIn theory, silicon anodes could store ten times more lithium ions than graphite anodes, which have been used in commercial lithium batteries for many years. However, the amp-hour capacity of silicon anodes so far has been declining sharply with each additional charge-discharge cycle. Now an HZB team at BER II of the HZB in Berlin and the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble has utilised neutron experiments to establish what happens at the surface of the silicon anode during charging and what processes reduce this capacity.
- Climate change: How could artificial photosynthesis contribute to limiting global warming?
If CO2 emissions do not fall fast enough, then CO2 will have to be removed from the atmosphere in the future to limit global warming. Not only could planting new forests and biomass contribute to this, but new technologies for artificial photosynthesis as well. An HZB physicist and a researcher at the University of Heidelberg have estimated how much surface area such solutions would require. Although artificial photosynthesis could bind CO2 more efficiently than the natural model, there are still no large modules that are stable over the long term. The team published their calculations in "Earth System Dynamics".
- Two new Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups will start in 2019
Starting in 2019, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) will be establishing two new Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups and thereby strengthening its competencies in catalysis research. The Helmholtz Association will be funding each group with 150,000 euros annually over a period of five years, and HZB will be matching that sum with its own funds.
- Marcus Bär accepts W2 professorship for X-ray spectroscopy in Erlangen-NurembergProf. Marcus Bär has accepted a professorship for X-ray spectroscopy at the Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). Bär heads the Department of Interface Design at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). The new W2 professorship was established in cooperation with HZB and Forschungszentrum Jülich in order to strengthen the Helmholtz-Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg für Renewable Energy (HI ERN). In the future, Bär will also be working on HI ERN research topics at HZB, thereby contributing to the intensification of cooperation.
- Neutronenforschung hilft bei der Entwicklung von zerstörungsfreien PrüfverfahrenMaterialermüdung zeigt sich häufig zuerst daran, dass im Innern des Materials Bereiche mit stark unterschiedlichen Eigenspannungen aneinandergrenzen. An der Neutronenquelle BER II am HZB hat ein Team der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) die Eigenspannungen von Schweißnähten aus ferromagnetischem Stahl analysiert. Die Ergebnisse helfen zerstörungsfreie elektromagnetische Prüfverfahren zu verbessern.
- Outstanding master thesis on the structure and function of a bacterial enzyme honouredOn December 17, 2018, Lena Graß, a PhD student from the Structural Biochemistry Group at Freie Universität Berlin, was awarded the Master Prize of the Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie e.V. (Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) (GBM). For her master thesis at Freie Universität Berlin and the MX beamlines of BESSY II, she deciphered the structure and function of a so-called RNA helicase.
- Slovenian president awards HZB scientist with "Apple of Inspiration"Marko Jošt, Steve Albrecht and Bernd Rech, researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Technische Universität Berlin (TUB) receive a rare award today, 19 December 2018. In the slovenian Grand Hall of Presidential Palace, the Slovenian President, Borut Pahor, presents them with the "Apple of Inspiration". It honours achievements in culture, science, sport and society. The Berlin scientists are the first foreigners who receive the prize together with colleagues from the University of Ljubljana.
- Steve Albrecht is Junior Professor at the Technical University of BerlinThe Technische Universität Berlin (TU) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have appointed Prof. Dr. Steve Albrecht to the joint junior professorship "perovskite solar cells" as of December 15, 2018. Since 2016, Albrecht has headed the junior investigator group "Perovskit Tandem Solar Cells" at the HZB, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
- Ernst Eckhard Koch Prize and Synchrotron Radiation Innovation AwardOn December 6, 2018, the Association of Friends of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin awarded the Ernst Eckhard Koch Prize for an outstanding doctoral thesis in the field of research with synchrotron radiation at the HZB or at DESY as well as the European Innovation-Award on Synchrotron Radiation. The award ceremonies took place during the 10th User Meeting at the HZB.
- Milestone for bERLinPro: photocathodes with high quantum efficiencyA team at the HZB has improved the manufacturing process of photocathodes and can now provide photocathodes with high quantum efficiency for bERLinPro.
- Key competencies for BESSY III: UndulatorsHZB undulators are not only used in the BESSY II synchrotron lightsource. They also enjoy great popularity at other large-scale research facilities. HZB has already supplied undulators to renowned centres such as the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, DESY in Hamburg, and MAX IV in Sweden. Undulators are key components in the operation of synchrotron lightsources.
- Delegation from Jordan visited the HZBThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) will intensify its cooperation with Jordanian large-scale research facilities. This was agreed between Prof. Dr. Jan Lüning and representatives of a high-ranking Jordanian research delegation, which visited the HZB at the end of November 2018.
- HZB builds undulator for SESAME in JordanThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is building an APPLE II undulator for the SESAME synchrotron light source in Jordan. The undulator will be used at the Helmholtz SESAME beamline (HESEB) that will be set up there by five Helmholtz Centres. The Helmholtz Association is investing 3.5 million euros in this project coordinated by DESY.
- Molecules that self-assemble into monolayers for efficient perovskite solar cellsA team at the HZB has discovered a new method for producing efficient contact layers in perovskite solar cells. It is based on molecules that organise themselves into a monolayer. The study was published in Advanced Energy Materials and appeared on the front cover of the journal.
- "Make our Planet great again": New Research Group at the HZB institute of Silicon PhotovoltaicsThe physicist Dr. Yutsung Tsai is setting up his own research group on at the Institute of Silicon Photovoltaics at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. His goal is to develop two-dimensional transparent solar cells. Tsai receives research funding from the Franco-German programme "Make Our Planet Great Again – German Research Initiative“ (MOPGA-GRI), which is funded by the German Ministry or Education and Research.
- Alexander Petsch awarded the Young Investigators Prize of the German Thermoelectric SocietyAlexander Petsch from the HZB Department Methods and Characterization of Transport Phenomena in Energy Materials was awarded the Young Scientist Prize 2018 of the German Thermoelectrics Society e.V. (DTG) for his outstanding Bachelor thesis.
- Transition metal complexes: mixed works betterA team at BESSY II has investigated how various iron-complex compounds process energy from incident light. They were able to show why certain compounds have the potential to convert light into electrical energy. The results are important for the development of organic solar cells. The study has now been published in the journal PCCP, and its illustration selected for the cover.
- New records in perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells through improved light managementUsing microstructured layers, an HZB team has been able to increase the efficiency of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells, achieving 25.5 %, which is the highest published value to date. At the same time, computational simulations were utilized to investigate light conversion in various device designs with different nanostructured surfaces. This enabled optimization of light management and detailed energy yield analyses. The study has now been published in Energy & Environmental Science.
- Veranstaltungstipp: Theaterstück Kernfragen über Lise Meitner am 13.11.2018Am 13. November 2018 wird an der Freien Universität ein Theaterstück zu Lise Meitner uraufgeführt, das durch das PORTRAITTHEATER aus Wien realisiert wird. Das Stück "KERNFRAGEN" basiert auf dokumentarischem Material, unter anderem dem umfangreichen Briefwechsel zwischen Lise Meitner und Max von Laue, der bislang wenig öffentlich bekannt ist. Der Eintritt ist frei, um Anmeldung wird gebeten.
- Graphene on the way to superconductivityScientists at HZB have found evidence that double layers of graphene have a property that may let them conduct current completely without resistance. They probed the bandstructure at BESSY II with extremely high resolution ARPES and could identify a flat area at a surprising location.
- ERC Synergy grant with HZB participationNovel X-ray microscope to produce microstructural images in situ and in vivo
- Poster award to HZB doctoral studentFrederike Lehmann from the HZB Department Structure and Dynamics of Energy Materials received a poster award at an international conference, the ICTMC-21 in Boulder, Colorado, USA. She presented her results on the synthesis and characterization of hybrid perovskite materials, which are considered interesting candidates for novel solar cells.
- Nanodiamonds as photocatalystsDiamond nanomaterials are considered hot candidates for low-cost photocatalysts. They can be activated by light and can then accelerate certain reactions between water and CO2 and produce carbon-neutral "solar fuels". The EU project DIACAT has now doped such diamond materials with boron and shown at BESSY II how this could significantly improve the photocatalytic properties.
- Andrea Denker is Professor of "Accelerator Physics for Medicine"The Beuth Hochschule für Technik Berlin and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have appointed Prof. Dr. Andrea Denker to the joint professorship "Accelerator Physics for Medicine" as of October 1, 2018. Since 2006, Andrea Denker is head of the department "Proton Therapy" at the HZB, which operates the accelerator for eye tumor therapy. The therapy, offered in cooperation with the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the HZB, is unique in Germany.
- Blue phosphorus - mapped and measured for the first timeUntil recently, the existence of "blue" phosphorus was pure theory: Now an HZB team was able to examine samples of blue phosphorus at BESSY II for the first time and confirm via mapping of their electronic band structure that this is actually this exotic phosphorus modification. Blue phosphorus is an interesting candidate for new optoelectronic devices. The results have been published in Nano Letters.
- Poster award for HZB PhD studentEike Köhnen received an award for his poster on perovskite silicon tandem cells at the 4th International Conference on Perovskite Solar Cells and Optoelectronics (PSCO) in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is a PhD student in the Junior Research Group on Perovskite Tandem Cells led by Dr. Steve Albrecht.
- Am 15. Oktober startet die Ringvorlesung der Freien Universität Berlin– Zum Gedenken an Lise MeitnerLise Meitner ist eine der bedeutendsten Wissenschaftlerinnen des 20. Jahrhunderts. Die Freie Universität Berlin würdigt im Rahmen einer Ringvorlesung die Leistungen Lise Meitners und arbeitet deren Bedeutung für die Wissenschaft und Kultur auf. Die Veranstaltung findet immer montags von 18.15 bis 19.45 Uhr statt, Beginn ist am 15. Oktober.
- Collaboration between HZB and the University of FreiburgThrough a Joint Research Group entitled “Simulation of Energy Materials“ Prof. Joachim Dzubiella of the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg will be able to continue his collaboration with the HZB. The theoretical physicist headed the “Theory and Simulation“ group at the HZB until recently and worked closely together with colleagues conducting experimental research. The new research group will concentrate on electrochemical energy storage and solar fuels.
- Neutrons scan magnetic fields inside samplesWith a newly developed neutron tomography technique, an HZB team has been able to map for the first time magnetic field lines inside materials at the BER II research reactor. Tensorial neutron tomography promises new insights into superconductors, battery electrodes, and other energy-related materials.
- HZB researchers boost the efficiency of silicon solar cellsThe efficiency of a solar cell is one of its most important parameters. It indicates what percentage of the solar energy radiated into the cell is converted into electrical energy. The theoretical limit for silicon solar cells is 29.3 percent due to physical material properties. In the journal Materials Horizons, researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and international colleagues describe how this limit can be abolished. The trick: they incorporate layers of organic molecules into the solar cell. These layers utilise a quantum mechanical process known as singlet exciton fission to split certain energetic light (green and blue photons) in such a way that the electrical current of the solar cell can double in that energy range.
- Machine learning helps improving photonic applicationsPhotonic nanostructures can be used for many applications, not just in solar cells, but also in optical sensors for cancer markers or other biomolecules, for example. A team at HZB using computer simulations and machine learning has now shown how the design of such nanostructures can be selectively optimised. The results are published in Communications Physics.
- Scientific delegation from China visited the HZBOn 28 September 2018, a 25-member delegation from China gathered information about materials research at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin. Representatives from various research institutes, universities and industrial companies visited the Lise-Meitner Campus in Wannsee and had discussions with the HZB researchers.
- Berlin’s best apprentice for precision mechanic comes from the HZBMilena Meschenmoser completed her apprenticeship as a precision mechanic as the best in Berlin. From 2014 to 2018, she completed the practical part of her training at the HZB workshop in Wannsee.
- Newsletter and HighlightreportExactly twenty years ago, BESSY II went into operation. In the current September newsletter, which we are sending out this week, we present the anniversary website, report on the new highlight report 2017 and on successes in technology transfer. Have you already registered for the newsletter? Here is the registration link.
- Atoosa Meseck is a professor of accelerator physics at the University of MainzOn 1 September 2018, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz appointed Atoosa Meseck to the joint professorship “Accelerator physics – collective effects and nonlinear beam dynamics”. Prof. Dr. Atoosa Meseck is researching at HZB into novel concepts for undulators, as are indispensable for producing high brightness synchrotron radiation. Among other things, she is developing undulator concepts for the successor facility BESSY III, for which the concept is currently being developed at HZB.
- Spectacular transport: Undulator moved to the electron storage ring BESSY IIA worldwide unique undulator developed at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) was installed in the storage ring BESSY II on September 20, 2018. It supplies the "Energy Materials In-Situ Lab EMIL" with the hard X-ray light from BESSY II. The transport of the six-ton device was spectacular: several cranes were used to transport the undulator just a few hundred meters from the production building to the storage ring.
- Patented nanostructure for solar cells: Rough optics, smooth surfaceThin-film solar cells made of crystalline silicon are inexpensive and achieve efficiencies of a good 14 percent. However, they could do even better if their shiny surfaces reflected less light. A team led by Prof. Christiane Becker from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has now patented a sophisticated new solution to this problem.
- Hanwha Q-Cells Quantsol Awards 2018Six young researchers received a Hanwha Q-Cells Quantsol Award for their self-developed Photovoltaics. This award is presented by the organizers of the international summer school Quantsol together with the industry.
- Neue HZB-Zeitung „lichtblick“ erschienenDas Potenzial der Solarenergie ist längst nicht ausgereizt. Es gibt viele Stellschrauben, um den Wirkungsgrad weiter zu erhöhen. So beschichtet Christiane Becker Gläser mit winzigen Strukturen, um den Lichteinfang in Solarzellen zu erhöhen – eine Technologie, die auch für die Industrie höchst interessant ist. In der Titelgeschichte der neuen "lichtblick" stellen wir die Physikerin vor, die sich beinahe für eine Laufbahn als Musikerin entschieden hätte. Bis sie auf das Thema der Erneuerbaren Energien stieß.
- The HZB welcomes new apprentices and studentsOn September 3, 2018, 14 new colleagues who are undertaking an apprenticeship, a dual course of study or a voluntary scientific year at the HZB officially started their careers.
- Invitation to the final presentations of HZB Summer Students on 30th AugustThe summer students worked on their own research projects for eight weeks. August 30th is their last day at HZB. We cordially invite you to the final presenation event at Campus Wannsee. Three selected students will give a lecture on their research projects. Afterwards, the students will be glad to report on the results and progress of their work in a poster session. Just drop by without registering - we look forward to seeing you!
- Shaking hands and experimenting with the Federal Research MinisterFederal Research Minister Anja Karliczek visited the tent of the school laboratories in the Helmholtz Association at the German government's Open Day this weekend. Employees of the Alfred Wegener Institute, DESY and HZB experimented with the visitors at the invitation of the BMBF. "We have two great days behind us with many interesting encounters, curious children and lots of action," says Dr. Ulrike Witte from the HZB school laboratory.
- 2.8 Mio Euro Funding for preparing perovskite solar cells for high volume manufacturingHZB participates in a new consortium for Perovskite solar technology that is led by Oxford PV Germany GmbH. The consortium is funded by the German Ministry of Economics and Energy with 2.8 Million Euros and aims to further demonstrate the manufacturability of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells.
- Printing solar cells and organic LEDsHumboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin form a joint lab and research group “Generative production processes for hybrid components”.
- Future information technologies: nanoscale heat transport under the microscopeA team of researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the University of Potsdam has investigated heat transport in a model system comprising nanometre-thin metallic and magnetic layers. Similar systems are candidates for future high-efficiency data storage devices that can be locally heated and rewritten by laser pulses (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording). Measurements taken with extremely short X-ray pulses have now shown that the heat is distributed a hundred times slower than expected in the model system. The results are published in Nature Communications.
- Register now: Newsletter from HZBOn Thursday evening we will send out the next newsletter with information from the HZB. The focus topic in August is BESSY II and the expansion to BESSY VSR. According to the new data protection guidelines, we may only send the newsletter to persons who have registered. And what about you? Did you just subscribe? Here is the registration link.
- Summer in the lab - and in the HZB science blogThey come from Egypt, China, Mexico or Russia and study science or technology in Bachelor's or Master's degrees. For eight weeks our summer students participate in research in an HZB team. But are they doing exactly? They are currently blogging about their projects in the HZB-Scienceblog.
- World record: Fastest 3D tomographic images at BESSY IIAn HZB team has developed an ingenious precision rotary table at the EDDI beamline at BESSY II and combined it with particularly fast optics. This enabled them to document the formation of pores in grains of metal during foaming processes at 25 tomographic images per second - a world record.
- Insight into loss processes in perovskite solar cells enables efficiency improvementsIn perovskite solar cells, charge carriers are mainly lost through recombination occurring at interface defect sites. In contrast, recombination at defect sites within the perovskite layer does not limit the performance of the solar cells at present. Teams from the University of Potsdam and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) were able to reach this interesting conclusion through extremely accurate quantitative measurements on 1 cm2 perovskite cells using photoluminescence. Their results contribute to improving perovskite solar cells and have now been published in Nature Energy.
- Insight into catalysis through novel study of X-ray absorption spectroscopyAn international team has made a breakthrough at BESSY II. For the first time, they succeeded in investigating electronic states of a transition metal in detail and drawing reliable conclusions on their catalytic effect from the data. These results are helpful for the development of future applications of catalytic transition-metal systems. The work has now been published in Chemical Science, the Open Access journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
- Shutdown BESSY II: work has startedAs of 30 July 2018, BESSY II will be down for several weeks. In the summer shutdown, important components in the storage ring tunnel will be replaced and overhauled. The first conversion work for the BESSY VSR project also begins. Upgrading BESSY II into a variable-pulse-length storage ring (BESSY-VSR) will provide unique experimental conditions for researchers worldwide. The shutdown lasts until 30 September 2018, and user operation will recommence on 30 October 2018.
- ERC Starting Grant awarded to Antonio AbateHZB scientist Dr. Antonio Abate has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant for his research project on perovskite solar cells. The ERC Starting Grant supports outstanding researchers in an early phase of their scientific careers with up to 1.5 million euros over five years and is considered one of the most important European awards.
- HZB Newsletter in english nowYou can now register to receive the monthly HZB Newsletter automatically by email. It always contains two or three science features from research activities, information on personnel matters, and video and reading tips such as links to profiles and news reports from the HZB newspaper Lichtblick, the Campus Blog, and the Science Blog.
- Wissenstransfer: Neues Standardwerk zu Energietechnologien in DeutschlandVertreter des Wuppertal Instituts haben dem Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi) einen mehrbändigen Bericht zu Energietechnologien übergeben. Dabei haben Experten aus dem HZB-Institut PVcomB am Themenfeld Photovoltaik mitgewirkt. Im Herbst verabschiedet die Bundesregierung das neue 7. Energieforschungsprogramm (EFP). Der Bericht liefert eine wissenschaftliche Basis für die Entwicklung des Programms.
- Future information technology: Microscopic insight into processes when magnets suddenly heat upMagnetic solids can demagnetize upon heating. Despite decades of research, it has so far been unclear how this process works in detail. Now, for the first time, an international group has observed in a step-by-step manner how sudden heating affects the magnetic order of a ferrimagnetic insulator. The result: The magnetic order changes on two time scales. The first process is surprisingly fast and takes only one picosecond, while the second process takes 100,000 times longer. This insight could help to increase the switching speed in magnetic storage media by at least a factor of 1000. The work is published in Science Advances.
- Poster award für HZB scientist at ICT2018At the International Conference on Thermoelectrics in July in Caen, France, Dr. Katherine Ann Mazzio from the HZB Institute of Nanospectroscopy received a prize for her poster. The conference is the world's largest symposium on thermoelectric materials.
- Bundesvereinigung Materialwissenschaft und Werkstofftechnik wählt Susan Schorr zur GeneralsekretärinAuf der letzten Mitgliederversammlung der Bundesvereinigung Materialwissenschaft und Werkstofftechnik (BVMatWerk) wurde Prof. Dr. Susan Schorr einstimmig zur Generalsekretärin gewählt. Sie tritt das Amt ab 2019 an, die Amtszeit dauert zwei Jahre.
- GRECO kick-off in Madrid: advancing photovoltaics through “open science”The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is one of ten international partners in the GRECO pilot project funded under the European Union framework programme Horizon 2020. They intend to jointly test OpenScience approaches for exchanging knowledge and research data in order to accelerate the development of innovative PV products worldwide. GRECO will receive three million euros in funding through 2021.
- HZB expert contributes to Leibniz platform GraFOxThe platform "GraFOx" of the Leibniz Association bundles the activities and competences of Berlin research institutes and universities in the field of oxide research for electronic applications. Now Prof. Dr. Catherine Dubourdieu has been involved as an Associate Partner. The internationally renowned expert heads the Institute "Functional Oxides for Energy-Efficient Information Technology" at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin.
- Helmholtz International Fellow Award for Nils MårtenssonThe Helmholtz Association has presented the Swedish physicist Nils Mårtensson with a Helmholtz International Fellow Award. The synchrotron expert of the University of Uppsala, who heads the nobel comitee for physics, cooperates closely with the HZB-Institute Methods and Instrumentation for Synchrotron Radiation Research.
- Summer in the laboratory: 21 summer students start their research project at the HZBYoung people from all over the world have applied to the Helmholtz Centre to take part in the annual summer programme: eight weeks of research in an HZB team, well supervised, taking their first steps in their own scientific work. Now 21 students from eleven countries have arrived and are looking forward to their research project. They will present their results on 30 August.
- Kostenloser Download: HZB-Forschung in Spektrum KompaktNoch bis zum 9. Juli steht das Spektrum Kompakt "Energiewende", herausgegeben vom Spektrum-Verlag, zum kostenlosen Download zur Verfügung. Darin enthalten ist eine 13-seitige Sonderveröffentlichung des HZB, aufgeteilt in drei Beiträge. Nach Ablauf des kostenlosen Zugangs wird der Download des Hefts auf den Spektrum-Seiten 4,99 € kosten.
- New world record for direct solar water-splitting efficiencyHydrogen will play a central role as a storage medium in sustainable energy systems. An international team of researchers has now succeeded in raising the efficiency of producing hydrogen from direct solar water-splitting to a record 19 per cent. They did so by combining a tandem solar cell of III-V semiconductors with a catalyst of rhodium nanoparticles and a crystalline titanium dioxide coating. Teams from the California Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge, Technische Universität Ilmenau, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE participated in the development work. One part of the experiments took place at the Institute for Solar Fuels in the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin.
- Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin receives "audit berufundfamilie" certificateOn 27 June 2018 in Berlin, the HZB was awarded the "audit berufundfamilie" certificate for its strategically designed family and life-phase conscious personnel policy. The certificate was presented to Anja Seehrich, the person responsible for work-life-balance at HZB, by the Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Dr. Franziska Giffey.
- E-MRS: Prizes for two PhD students at HZBAt the spring meeting of the European Materials Research Society from 18-22 June 2018 in Strasbourg, Hannes Hempel received the prize for the best talk and Sara Niedenzu was awarded for her poster. Both are PhD students at the MatSEC graduate school at HZB. The E-MRS spring conference is the largest materials research conference in Europe with 2,500 participants.
- HZB Newsletter with monthly highlights and info on eventsYou can now register to receive the monthly HZB Newsletter automatically by email. It always contains two or three science features from research activities, information on personnel matters, and video and reading tips such as links to profiles and news reports from the HZB newspaper Lichtblick, the Campus Blog, and the Science Blog.
- Dr. Raül Garcia Diez received poster award at the international synchrotron conference SRI 2018HZB researcher introduces unique operando characterization by soft X-ray spectroscopy
- Silicon heterojunction solar cell with a certified 23.1 % energy conversion efficiencyAfter further optimization of the baseline process for industrial silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells, the accredited metrology lab ISFH CalTeC now certified an efficiency of 23.1 % for a 4 cm² solar cell. This performance is among the best in the world and demonstrates the leading role of HZB in this technology in Germany and Europe.
- Day of the Little Researchers: 150 daycare children experiment at the HZBWhy is the light white? And the sky blue? Children ask many questions and want to try things out. For this purpose, 150 pre-school children had many opportunities at the "Day of the Little Researchers" in the HZB school lab. They used self-made spectroscopes to examine the colours of light.
- Helmholtz Association supports ATHENA with 29.99 mio. euro grantATHENA (“Accelerator Technology HElmholtz iNfrAstructure”) is a new research and development platform focusing on accelerator technologies and drawing on the resources of all six Helmholtz accelerator institutions (DESY, Jülich Research Centre, Helmholtz Centre Berlin, Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf HZDR, KIT and GSI with the Helmholtz Institute of Jena). The Helmholtz Association has now decided to pay almost 30 million euros towards ATHENA as a strategic development project.
- Perovskite-silicon solar cell research collaboration hits 25.2% efficiencyA 1 cm2 perovskite silicon tandem solar cell achieves an independently certified efficiency of 25.2 %. This was presented this week at an international conference in Hawaii, USA. The cell was developed jointly by HZB, Oxford University and Oxford PV - The Perovskite CompanyTM.
- Alliance Building Integrated Photovoltaics: Björn Rau joins Management BoardThe General Meeting of Alliance for Builiding Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) has unanimously elected physicist and photovoltaic expert Dr. Björn Rau, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, to the BIPV Management Board.
- HZB experts present cooperation opportunities at Intersolar Europe in MunichThe international exhibition “Intersolar” brings photovoltaic research and the solar industry together. It is a perfect opportunity for researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin to present thin-film photovoltaic technologies and projects, including for example perovskite solar cells and tandem solar cells.
- Record number of visitors to the Long Night of Sciences at HZB in Adlershof4,700 visitors came to see the electron accelerator BESSY II and the energy laboratories and experimental stations dedicated to researching solar energy. That makes nearly 20 percent more interested visitors to HZB’s Adlershof campus than last time.
- The pioneer of organic semiconductor electronics will be a guest speaker at Helmholtz-Zentrum BerlinOn 14 June, Prof. Sir Richard Friend will be giving a talk in the auditorium of BESSY II on the physics that made the breakthroughs in organic electronics possible. He will speak about the "Management of the Coulomb interaction in organic LEDs and solar cells".
- Neutron tomography: Insights into the interior of teeth, root balls, batteries, and fuel cellsA team of researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and European Spallation Source (ESS) has now published a comprehensive overview of neutron-based imaging processes in the renowned journal Materials Today (impact factor 21.6). The authors report on the latest developments in neutron tomography, illustrating the possible applications using examples of this non-destructive method. Neutron tomography has facilitated breakthroughs in so diverse areas such as art history, battery research, dentistry, energy materials, industrial research, magnetism, palaeobiology and plant physiology.
- Hereinspaziert: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin öffnet zur Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften BESSY II und EnergieforschungslaboreSolarzellen, die hocheffizient, sehr preiswert und lange haltbar sind. Wasserstoff, der mit Sonnenenergie gewonnen wird und Autos antreibt. Computer, die mit geringstem Energieverbrauch riesige Datenmengen verarbeiten: Die Forscherinnen und Forscher des Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin arbeiten daran, dass diese Zukunftsvisionen Realität werden. Zur Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften öffnen sie ihre Labore in Adlershof, stellen ihre Arbeit vor und laden zum Experimentieren ein.
- Thorsten Kamps is Professor of Accelerator Physics at Humboldt-Universität zu BerlinOn 24 May 2018, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HUB) and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) jointly appointed Thorsten Kamps to the Professorship of “Accelerator physics – Generation and Characterisation of High Brightness Electron Beams”. Kamps heads a workgroup at the Institute for Accelerator Physics of HZB. He and his team develop a key component for new accelerator facilities, namely high brightness electron sources.
- Neue HZB-Zeitung „lichtblick“ erschienenIn den letzten Wochen ist viel passiert am HZB: das Beschleunigerteam hat einen neuen Betriebsmodus erfolgreich getestet, eine Begleitgruppe zum Rückbau des Forschungsreaktors hat ihre Arbeit aufgenommen – und es gibt jetzt eine Energiemanagerin am HZB. Das sind nur einige Themen, über die wir berichten.
- Start of a several-year approval processHZB submits its letter of intent to have the last fuel elements from the research reactor BER II stored in Ahaus.
- "Tandemtechnologie" - Wie die Produktion von Solarzellen nach Europa zurückkehren könnteDer Direktor des PVcomB am HZB im pv-magazine Interview
"Das Potenzial der Photovoltaik ist nicht mal annähernd ausgereizt", sagt Rutger Schlatmann im Interview. So liege der Wirkungsgrade bei kommerziellen Modulen aktuell bei zirka 20 Prozent. Mit Tandem-Solarmodulen wären bis zu 40 Prozent möglich - und sie ließen sich wahrscheinlich auch wirtschaftlich produzieren. Schlatmann zeigt die Vorteile der Dünnschicht- und der Wafer-Technologie auf und wagt eine Prognose: Welche Technologie wird das Rennen machen? Und unter welchen Bedingungen könnte die Photovoltaik-Produktion nach Deutschland zurückkehren? Lesen Sie mehr im Interview des pv magazine.
- Helmholtz Virtual Institute MiCo: Article selected as journal highlight for 2017The Helmholtz Virtual Institute MiCo offers a platform through which the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin conducts joint research with universities and other partners on the topic of microstructures for thin-film solar cells. The journal Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering recently selected an article produced through MiCo as the highlight of those published by the journal during 2017.
- Internationaler Workshop zu CIGS-Dünnschicht-Solarmodulen am 18. Juni 2018 in StuttgartDünnschicht-Solarmodule mit einem Halbleiter aus Kupfer, Indium, Gallium und Selen (CIGS) machen derzeit große Fortschritte bei der kommerziellen Fertigung. Welche Verbesserungen die Industrie in den letzten Jahren erzielt hat, wo die CIGS-Dünnschichttechnologie heute steht und was künftig noch erreichbar ist, diskutieren internationale Experten am 18. Juni 2018 auf dem neunten Workshop IW-CIGSTech in Stuttgart. Veranstaltet wird der jährlich stattfindende Austausch vom Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) und dem Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB). Der Workshop richtet sich an Fachleute aus Wissenschaft, Technik und Industrie.
- Appointment to University of FloridaDr. Charles Hages has received an appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida. Hages has been a postdoctoral researcher at HZB in the Department of Structure and Dynamics of Energy Materials for two years. At University of Florida, Hages will advance his work in developing energy materials and looks forward to continued collaborations with his HZB colleagues.
- Registration for Summer School Quantsol is now open!It is already the eleventh time that the International Summer School on Photovoltaics and New Concepts of Quantum Solar Energy Conversion (Quantsol) will be held from 2. to 9. September 2018 in Hirschegg, Kleinwalsertal, Austria. The school is organized by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the Technical University of Ilmenau. Applications can be submitted through the school’s homepage until May 18th , 2018.
- "Es war voll super!" - Girls Day & Zukunftstag am HZBDie Mädchen und Jungen zum Zukunftstag am HZB waren einstimmig begeistert - "Es war voll super!". Genau das Feedback gaben die Schülerinnen und Schüler gestern an die Betreuerinnen und Betreuer weiter. Insgesamt haben über 90 Mädchen und Jungen an den dreizehn verschiedenen Workshops in Adlershof und Wannsee teilgenommen. Neu dabei: Das Team der Augentumortherapie hat sich erstmalig im Rahmen des "Zukunftstag 2018" mit einem ganztägigen Workshop für Mädchen & Jungen beteiligt.
- HI-SCORE international research school: Kick Off Meeting in BerlinThe international research school on solar energy promotes exchange between Germany and Israel and excellent conditions for PhD students.
- Results of evaluation by international panel of experts: support for HZB’s future, calls for rapid planning of BESSY IIIThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has received an evaluation of “excellent” in a review of science programmes undertaken at all Helmholtz Research Centres. This provides the foundation for future financing of HZB.
- A high ranked Chinese delegation led by Mr. Yin, Vice Mayor of Beijing, visited HZB in AdlershofOn 11 April 2018, the Vice Mayor of Beijing, the Minister Counsellor and the Secretary-General of the Chinese Embassy in Germany paid a visit to Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). The delegation came to learn more about the research topics, infrastructures and user service at HZB. The plan is to establish Beijing as one of three major national innovation centres with large-scale facilities for the international user community.
- Writing and deleting magnets with lasersScientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) together with colleagues from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, USA have found a way to write and delete magnets in an alloy using a laser beam – a surprising effect. The reversibility of the process opens up new possibilities in the fields of material processing, optical technology, and data storage.
- HZB-Schülerlabor: Jetzt Termine für das 1. Schulhalbjahr 2018/2019 buchenDie Schülerlabore des HZB in Wannsee und Adlershof sind sehr beliebt. Bis zu 3000 Schülerinnen und Schüler experimentieren pro Jahr zu Themen wie Magnetismus und Supraleitung, Solarenergieforschung und Licht und Farben in der forschungsnahen Umgebung des HZB. Für das neue Schulhalbjahr (August 2018 - Januar 2019) bietet das Schülerlabor 76 Projekttage für Grund- und Oberschulen an. Die Projekttage sind kostenfrei. Restplätze für Oberschulklassen können noch gebucht werden.
- Kesterite solar cells: germanium promises better opto-electronic properties than tinSpecific changes in the composition of kesterite-type semiconductors make it possible to improve their suitability as absorber layers in solar cells. As a team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin showed, this is particularly true for kesterites in which tin was replaced by germanium. The scientists examined the samples using neutron diffraction at BER II and other methods. The work was selected for the cover of the journal CrystEngComm.
- New solar solutions for sustainable buildings and citiesAt the Interdisciplinary conference on „INNOVATION IN SOLAR BUILDING SKINS & ENERGY EFFICIENCY TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE CITIES”, 19th to 20th march in Berlin, experts from the building sector, politics, finance and photovoltaics have discussed the implementation of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV). In a very lively and active workshop, drivers and barriers were identified.
- LEAPS join forces with the European Commission to strengthen Europe’s leading role in science“A world where European science is a catalyst for solving global challenges, a key driver for competitiveness and a compelling force for closer integration and peace through scientific collaboration.” This is the vision of LEAPS, League of European Accelerator-based Photon Sources, on which the LEAPS Strategy 2030 is based. Director Jean-David Malo, DG Research and Innovation, received the strategy today at the Bulgarian Presidency Flagship Conference on Research Infrastructures.
- HZB has once again been recertified as a family-friendly employerSince 2011, HZB has held the “Career and Family” certificate of the non-profit Hertie Foundation. Every three years, HZB’s schemes for balancing work and family/life have to be put under review. In March 2018, independent reviewers confirmed that HZB is still a certified family-friendly employer.
- HZB scientist got the dissertation prize at the spring conference of the Deutsche Physikalische GesellschaftDr. Nele Thielemann-Kühn was awarded the dissertation prize of the magnetism research group at the spring conference of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (German physical society/DPG) in Berlin. The prize is awarded for outstanding research in the field of magnetism.
- Twin Orbit operation successfully tested at BESSY IIThe first “Twin Orbit User Test week” at BESSY II in February 2018 was a big success and can be considered as an important step towards real user operation. Physicists at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin have been able to store two separate electron beams in one storage ring. The twin orbit operation mode can serve users with different needs of the time structure of the photon pulses simultaneously and offers elegant options regarding the future project BESSY VSR.
- Register now: Smart City - Interdisciplinary conference on solar energy and architecture"INNOVATION IN SOLAR BUILDING SKINS & ENERGY EFFICIENCY TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE CITIES" will take place in Berlin March 19th-20th.
Experts from the construction industry, photovoltaic research field, and the financial sector will discuss innovative solutions for solar facades in combination with energy efficiency in buildings and cities in Berlin, March 19th-20th, 2018. Photovoltaics integrated into buildings represent an important component for energy-efficient cities of the future.
Online registration is open until wednesday 14th March. Students are admitted for a reduced fee.
- Message to residents: false alarm at the research reactor BER II on 7 March 2018We wold like to inform you that a false alarm was triggered at 9:19 p.m. on Wednesday the 7th of March 2018 at the Berliner Experimental Reactor BER II. At the time the alarm went off, BER II was still operating normally and continuously. After clarifying the trigger of the false alarm, a verbal all-clear was given over the campus PA system.
- Solar–to-hydrogen conversion: nanostructuring increases efficiency of metal-free photocatalysts by factor elevenPolymeric carbon nitrides exhibit a catalytic effect in sunlight that can be used for the production of hydrogen from solar energy. However, the efficiency of these metal-free catalysts is extremely low. A team at the Tianjin University in China, in collaboration with a group at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, has increased the catalytic efficiency of these polymeric carbon nitrides by a factor eleven through a simple process resulting in a larger surface area. The paper was published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.
- Guest researcher at HZB: Bessel Prize Winner Benjamin RotenbergProf. Benjamin Rotenberg has received a Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Prize from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for 2018 and will be spending time regularly as a guest researcher at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. Rotenberg is a researcher of the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and heads a research group in Sorbonne Université in Paris. He works in an interdisciplinary area spanning physics and chemistry for modelling transport processes in materials, at interfaces, and in electrolytes.
- Luminescent nano-architectures of gallium arsenideA team at the HZB has succeeded in growing nanocrystals of gallium arsenide on tiny columns of silicon and germanium. This enables extremely efficient optoelectronic components for important frequency ranges to be realised on silicon chips.
- Dr. Raul Garcia Diez wins the Dissertationspreis Adlershof 2017With his talk on the properties of nanoparticles and how they can be measured more accurately at BESSY II, Dr. Raul Garcia Diez convinced the jury and was awarded the Dissertationspreis Adlershof 2017. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, IGAFA e. V. and the WISTA MANAGEMENT GmbH are the sponsors of this prize endowed with 3000 Euros. Garcia Diez completed his PhD in 2017 at PTB and TU Berlin and is now active as a post-doctoral researcher at HZB.
- Neue HZB-Zeitung lichtblick erschienenPerowskit-Solarzellen haben einen rasanten Aufstieg hingelegt – und vermutlich einen noch steileren vor sich. Die Materialien sind so interessant, dass jetzt schon Industriepartner auf den Zug aufspringen, um diese Entwicklung nicht zu verpassen. Lesen Sie in der neuen Ausgabe, was die Solarzellen so besonders macht und warum Oxford PV, ein führender Anbieter auf diesem Gebiet, jetzt mit dem HZB kooperiert (S. 3 und S. 6-7).
- Hidden talents: Converting heat into electricity with pencil and paperThermoelectric materials can use thermal differences to generate electricity. Now there is an inexpensive and environmentally friendly way of producing them with the simplest of components: a normal pencil, photocopy paper, and conductive paint are sufficient to convert a temperature difference into electricity via the thermoelectric effect. This has now been demonstrated by a team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin.
- Joint graduate school for data science sponsors its first projectsThe Helmholtz Association, the Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF) and the universities of Berlin are creating a new PhD programme in Berlin for the field of data science. Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is involved in several of the projects. The first training positions are already advertised.
- User research at BER II: New insights into high-temperature superconductorsAfter 30 years of research, there are still many unsolved puzzles about high-temperature superconductors - among them is the magnetic “stripe order” found in some cuprate superconductors. A Danish research team has taken a closer look at these stripes, using high-resolution neutron scattering at the spectrometers FLEXX (HZB) and ThALES (ILL, Grenoble). Their results, now published in Physical Review Letters, challenge the common understanding of stripe order, and may contribute to unveil the true nature of high-temperature superconductivity.
- 40-year controversy in solid-state physics resolvedAn international team at BESSY II headed by Prof. Oliver Rader has shown that the puzzling properties of samarium hexaboride do not stem from the material being a topological insulator, as it had been proposed to be. Theoretical and initial experimental work had previously indicated that this material, which becomes a Kondo insulator at very low temperatures, also possessed the properties of a topological insulator. The team has now published a compelling alternative explanation in Nature Communications, however.
- HZB launches Helmholtz International Research School in collaboration with IsraelOn 1st February 2018, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has established the Helmholtz International Research School HI-SCORE, which will be oriented towards solar energy research. To accomplish this, HZB is collaborating with the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, the Israeli Institute of Technology (Technion) in Haifa, and three Israeli universities as well as universities in Berlin and Potsdam.
- User experiment at BESSY II: Complex tessellations, extraordinary materialsSimple organic molecules form complex materials through self-organization
- Application open for Young Investigator WorkshopThe Virtual Institute (VI) “Dynamic Pathways in Multidimensional Landscapes” explores the governing principles of material functions and is internationally highly visible. Young scientists are invited to participate in the Young Investigators Workshop which takes place from 22 to 27 April 2018 in Grainau. Please apply by 20th February 2018.
- Perovskite solar cells: mesoporous interface mitigates the impact of defectsThe nominal cell operating life of perovskite solar cells is strongly influenced by their inner architecture.This was shown by two scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the Technical University of Munich. They combined experiments with numerical simulations in order to explain this observation.
- Perovskite solar cells: perfection not required!Experiments at BESSY II reveal why even inhomogeneous perovskite films are highly functional
- Oxford PV collaborates with HZB to move perovskite solar cells closer to commercialisationPerovskite solar technology leader Oxford PV collaborates with leading German research centre to support the accelerated transfer of its technology into silicon cell manufacturing lines.
- Milestone reached: electron source for bERLinPro produces its first beamOn the HZB Adlershof campus, researchers are building a prototype of an energy-recovery linear accelerator (bERLinPro). Intensive research has been going on for years to develop the worldwide unique key components required for this accelerator. Now, the scientists and engineers have reached a very important milestone: from the interactions between cathode, laser pulse and electric field inside the cavity, the first electrons have been produced and accelerated.
- Frohe Weihnachten und alles Gute für 2018!Wir wünschen Ihnen ein frohes Fest und ruhige, besinnliche Feiertage. Wir bedanken uns bei allen Kooperations- und Geschäftspartnern für die Zusammenarbeit. Den Leserinnen und Lesern unserer Webseite danken wir für ihre Treue. Wir wünschen Ihnen ein schönes Restjahr und freuen uns auf ein ereignisreiches neues Jahr 2018!
- Accolade and social commitment at the same time: Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech has become a new member of acatechThe German “National Academy of Science and Engineering – acatech” has admitted Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech, an expert in renewable energies, into its circle of members. Bernd Rech has headed the Institute of Silicon Photovoltaics at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) since 2006 and has been the acting Scientific Director of HZB since May 2017. For many years, and in many capacities, he has been a champion for knowledge transfer. “This appointment is an accolade for his scientific accomplishment, and at the same time involves an honorary mandate,” acatech writes in its press release. The federal- and state-funded academy advises social and political actors on technological matters.
- BER II and BESSY II User Meeting at HZBMore than 600 scientists registered this year for the 9th annual BER II and BESSY II User Meeting from Wednesday to Friday, 13-15 December 2017. The Friends of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin recognised outstanding work in the field of synchrotron radiation with an Innovation Award, and the best doctoral dissertation with the Ernst-Eckard-Koch prize.
- Progress in solar technologies – from research to applicationEU group project presents its results: high efficiencies with less material
- 15 years of Russian–German cooperation at BESSY IIAt an event at HZB, 70 employees and guests were eagerly awaiting a package from Siberia. It arrived a little late, but thankfully just in time: in the package was a relief by a Russian sculptor, which is now ceremoniously unveiled for the 15th anniversary of the “Russian–German Laboratory”. This was in December 2017.
- Solar energy: Defects in Kesterite semiconductors studied using neutronsA research team at the HZB has precisely characterised for the first time the various types of defects in kesterite semiconductors. They achieved this with the help of neutron scattering at the BER II research reactor and at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the USA. The findings point to a means of guided optimisation for kesterite solar cells.
- HZB researcher Catherine Dubourdieu appointed full professor at Freie Universität BerlinCatherine Dubourdieu has become a full professor at the Freie Universität Berlin commencing December 2017. The Freie Universität Berlin is one of eleven German elite universities in the German Universities Excellence Initiative. Her position will be that of W3-S, which enables her to continue her research at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) in joint role. The physicist is an expert in the field of functional metal oxides that are interesting candidates for future information technologies.
- Neutron spectroscopy: new detector module MultiFLEXX increases count rate tenfoldThe triple axis spectrometer FLEXX at BER II provides a new detector module for user service. It measures many angles and multiple energy transfers simultaneously and thus increases the amount of data measured per hour by about a factor of ten. This enables neutron users to make optimal use of their beam time.
- PVcomB and AVANCIS launch joint MyCIGS research project in order to improve outdoor performance of thin film CIGS solar modulesThe Competence Centre Thin-Film- and Nanotechnology for Photovoltaics Berlin (PVcomB) is contributing its expertise to improving copper-indium-gallium-sulphide (CIGS) thin-film production in the MyCIGS collaborative research project. CIGS-module manufacturer AVANCIS in Munich is coordinating this project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (Oldenburg University) and Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) are also partners in the project.
- HZB User Service is a leader for quality managementUser Coordination receives the ISO 9001 certificate from TÜV Süd
- Eine Chance für die Forschung – mitten zwischen Berlin und PotsdamPotsdams Oberbürgermeister Jann Jakobs informiert sich am Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin über die Pläne zum Rückbau des Forschungsreaktors BER II.
- Light facilitates “impossible“ n-doping of organic semiconductorsApplications as light-emitting diodes and solar cells
- Helmholtz Day in the HZB School LabDo you know who Hermann von Helmholtz was? At this question, most of the primary school kids shook their head. Yet, the namesake of the Helmholtz Association was one of the most important natural scientists of the 19th century, and one of the last universal scholars. To keep his memory alive, Helmholtz Day has been held regularly, this sixth time in the Helmholtz Association’s School Lab. HZB invited 5th grade pupils from Nauen (Brandenburg) to Wannsee to conduct their own experiments in the School Lab.
- Miniaturised spectrometer wins first prize at international conferenceA Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) team together with experts at Ulm University and the University of Stuttgart have designed an electron spin resonance spectrometer that fits a box 10 cm on a side. The team presented the device to a technology jury at the international IEEE Sensors 2017 conference in Glasgow, Scotland and received the first prize of the best live demonstration award . ESR spectroscopy is extremely useful for research in energy-related materials such as catalysts, solar cells, and battery electrodes
- HZB makes new contacts with Argentinian Neutron Beams LaboratoryHelmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has signed a cooperation agreement with the Argentinian Neutron Beams Laboratory, LAHN (Laboratorio Argentino de Haces de Neutrones). Through this cooperation, HZB will be advising Argentinian researchers on the construction of two neutron instruments. Also planned is an exchange programme for researchers from both countries.
- LEAPS – Europe’s light sources join together to coordinate cutting-edge researchA new strategic group comprising the organisations operating European accelerator-based light sources has been founded in Brussels. The goal of the LEAPS consortium (League of European Accelerator-Based Photon Sources) is to elevate European collaboration on these “super microscopes” to a new level for the purpose of helping solve global challenges through concerted scientific excellence, as well as boost European competitiveness and integration. Representatives from 16 institutions issued a common declaration in the presence of the European Union’s Director General for Research and Innovation, Robert-Jan Smits.
- Einladung: Informationsveranstaltung zum Rückbau des Berliner Experimentierreaktors BER II am 21. NovemberEnde 2019 schaltet das Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) den Berliner Experimentierreaktor BER II endgültig ab. Über die gesetzlich vorgeschriebene Öffentlichkeitsbeteiligung hinaus möchte das HZB deshalb mit allen interessierten Bürgerinnen und Bürgern in einen Dialog über Stilllegung und Rückbau des BER II treten. Dafür lädt das Forschungszentrum zu einer Informationsveranstaltung ein am Dienstag, den 21. November 2017, von 18 Uhr bis ca. 21 Uhr in der Aula der Johannes-Tews-Grundschule in der Wasgenstraße 50 in 14129 Berlin.
- HZB is involved in the Helmholtz exchange programme with ChinaThe Helmholtz Association and the Office of China Postdoctoral Council, OCPC, are establishing a common exchange programme for Chinese postdocs. The young scientists will be researching at eight Helmholtz centres for two years before returning to China. HZB is also involved in the exchange programme, which runs from 2017 to 2021.
- Future IT: Antiferromagnetic dysprosium reveals magnetic switching with less energyHZB scientists have identified a mechanism with which it may be possible to develop a form of magnetic storage that is faster and more energy-efficient. They compared how different forms of magnetic ordering in the rare-earth metal named dysprosium react to a short laser pulse. They discovered that the magnetic orientation can be altered much faster and with considerably less energy if the magnetic moments of the individual atoms do not all point in the same direction (ferromagnetism), but instead point are rotated against each other (anti-ferromagnetism). The study was published in Physical Review letters on 6. November 2017 and on the cover of the print edition.
- New magazine “lichtblick” is out: Select articles can be read in English on the websiteSome artikels from our magazine lichtblick are available in English: You can find these articles here: http://hz-b.de/lichtblick-en
- “Distinguished Award 2017 for Novel Materials and their Synthesis” for Norbert KochAt the IUPAC NMS-XIII conference in Nanjing, Professor Dr. Norbert Koch has been awarded the "Distinguished Award 2017 for Novel Materials and their Synthesis "of IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) and of the Conference Committee. Koch received the award for his research on hybrid electronic materials and their interfaces in electronic and optoelectronic components. He is Professor at the Department of Physics at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, member of IRIS Adlershof and head of a joint research group at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin.
- Approved! The EU INFINITE-CELL projectA large EU-sponsored research project on tandem solar cells in which HZB is participating begins in November 2017. The goal is to combine thin-film semiconductors made of silicon and kesterites into especially cost-effective tandem cells having efficiencies of over 20 per cent. Several large research institutions from Europe, Morocco, the Republic of South Africa, and Belarus will be working on the project, as well as two partners from industry.
- Poster Award for HZB-PhD student at European Conference on ThermoelectricsMonika Raja Thulasimani is working on hybrid thermoelectrics at the Graduate School MatSec at HZB. During the European Conference on Thermoelectrics 2017 her poster contribution was selected for an award. The young scientist described a solution based synthesis in order to design more efficient thermoelectric materials.
- HZB apprentice is the best precision engineer ("Feinwerkmechaniker") in the State of Berlin for 2017Philipp Janusch completed an apprenticeship at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin to become a “precision engineer”, and passed his journeyman’s examination as the best of his year in the State of Berlin. What is more, he achieved this despite shortening his three-year apprenticeship by a whole year. In November, Janusch will be participating in the 2017 German Federal Skills Competition for Metalworking on behalf of the State of Berlin.
- Great Interest in the HySPRINT Industry Day: Joining forces to advance perovskite solar cellsNo fewer than 70 participants attended the first Industry Day of the Helmholtz Innovation Lab HySPRINT devoted to the topic of perovskite solar cells at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) on 13 October 2017. This far exceeded the expectations of the event hosts. The knowledge shared on Industry Day will serve as the basis for deepening the collaboration even further with strategically important companies in the scope of HySPRINT.
- High Field Magnet at BER II: Insight into a hidden orderA specific uranium compound has puzzled researchers for thirty years. Although the crystal structure is simple, no one understands exactly what is happening once it is cooled below a certain temperature. Apparently, a “hidden order” emerges, whose nature is completely unknown.Now physicists have characterised this hidden order state more precisely and studied it on a microscopic scale. To accomplish this, they utilised the High-Field Magnet at the HZB that permits neutron experiments to be conducted under conditions of extremely high magnetic fields.
- Get in the action for climate protection: HZB team comes in 7th in CITY CYCLINGIn September, 63 employees in the HZB team competed in the Germany-wide CITY CYCLING campaign. Over three weeks, they rode a total of 16,240 kilometres, landing them in seventh place – right behind the Berlin fire brigade and TU Berlin. And the best part is, together, the HZB colleagues saved 2306 kilograms of carbon dioxide.
- Missing link between new topological phases of matter discoveredHZB-Physicists at BESSY II have investigated a class of materials that exhibit characteristics of topological insulators. During these studies they discovered a transition between two different topological phases, one of which is ferroelectric, meaning a phase in the material that exhibits spontaneous electric polarisation and can be reversed by an external electric field. This could also lead to new applications such as switching between differing conductivities.
- Goodbye Paper Cups: Starting Monday, coffee in the Wannsee canteen will only be served in reusable cupsAs many as 150 coffee-to-go cups are used every day in the Wannsee canteen. These cups cannot be reasonably recycled, and instead end up as land fill. Now, the canteen is putting an end to this wastage. As of the 16th of October, coffee to go can only be bought in the new HZB returnable cups (available for 5 euros at the checkout) or served in your own cup, which you bring from home.
- Anwohnerinformation: Notfallübung am 14. Oktober am HZB in Berlin-WannseeAm 14. Oktober findet die jährliche Notfallübung am Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin in Wannsee statt. Die Übung dauert von 8.30 bis ca. 12 Uhr. Während dieser Zeit fahren viele Feuerwehrfahrzeuge zum Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. Auch der Einsatz von Theaterrauch ist geplant. Bitte seien Sie unbesorgt, es handelt sich um eine Übung. An der landesweiten Katastrophenschutzübung beteiligten sich auch die Berliner Feuerwehr und mehrere Berliner Behörden. Der Zutritt zum HZB ist während der Übungszeit nicht möglich, auch nicht für HZB-Mitarbeiter.
- New: Campusblog at HZBAn anecdote from the canteen, a curious lab photo, and an exciting encounter – there are many stories which just need to be written up. Now we have the Campus Blog of the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin for this. You will read in the blog, for example, that a HZB staffer cleared paths with a chain saw the whole night long during the Xavier storm, and other interesting stories.
- The use coordination on a EU trip: promoting European light sourcesSynchrotrons are outstanding tools for studying materials, cells and even cultural assets. Yet, many researchers in Eastern Europe are unaware that they are entitled to use them. The EU project Calipsoplus supports potential users from these countries.
- Novel soft X-ray spectrometer enables individual steps of photosynthetic water oxidation to be observedHZB scientists have developed a novel spectrometer at BESSY II that enables researchers to obtain detailed insights about catalytic processes in metalloenzymes. Their international collaboration was successful in delineating individual steps in the catalytic oxidation of water to dioxygen in photosystem II. They published their study in the journal Structural Dynamics. Photosystem II is a part of the of photosynthetic electron transport chain, a process that is responsible for the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy in plants, algae and cyanobacteria.
- Open doors for kids on 3. October: "Mouse-Day" at BESSY IITuesday 3. October 2017 is a special day in Germany. In order to help kids understand the world, a "Day of open Doors" is organised by the educational TV Programme "Sendung mit der Maus". Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has invited kids from age of four years on with their families to visit the experimental hall of BESSY II.
- Acoustic sculptures BESSY VSR - premiere at Saturday, 30. September 2017For four days, the Akademie der Künste on Hanseatenweg will be a creative lab for musical experimentation, staging concerts, artist talks, and workshops. With its 28 debuts and premieres, and more than 100 artists from 27 countries, the 2nd edition of KONTAKTE is the hub for electroacoustic music and sound art in Berlin.
- The miracle material graphene: convex as a chesterfieldGraphene possesses extreme properties and can be utilised in many ways. Even the spins of graphene can be controlled through use of a trick. This had already been demonstrated by a HZB team some time ago: the physicists applied a layer of graphene onto a nickel substrate and introduced atoms of gold in between (intercalation). The scientists now show why this has such a dramatic influence on the spins in a paper published in 2D Materials. As a result, graphene can also be considered as a material for future information technologies that are based on processing spins as units of information.
- Invitation to HySPRINT – Industry Day “New Frontiers in PV Research: Emerging Perovskite Semiconductors”On 13 October, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin will be hosting its first Industry Day on the topic of Perovskite Solar Cells. Following a recap of the current state of research and development and the future potential of perovskite solar cells, participants from industry will be able to give a brief presentation to show their company’s interest in the field. Intensive discussions during the Industry Day will be the starting point for future cooperation.
- The HZB website is being revised: take the Online Survey to tell us what you wantA modern company’s most important calling card is its website. HZB has an extensive online presence that has grown steadily over the years. There is a lot of exciting content – so much, in fact, that it becomes more and more difficult to surf. To make it user friendly once again, our website needs a relaunch, and will continue to need periodical relaunches in future. This is where you can help! What do you use the HZB website for? What do you like about it, and what don’t you like?
- Breakthrough at EMIL: First undulator radiation in the CAT experimentWhen the EMIL laboratory (Energy-Materials In-Situ Laboratory Berlin) was ceremoniously inaugurated a year ago in the presence of Federal Minister for Research Johanna Wanka, it was a major milestone for energy materials research at HZB. Ever since, HZB has been building the system that will bring X-ray beams all the way from BESSY II to the EMIL apparatuses. Until the BESSY light is fully available, the scientists have been working with X-rays from a conventional laboratory source. Now, the beamline operators have succeeded in guiding the X-rays from Undulator UE48 in the BESSY II experimental hall to the CAT experiment in the EMIL laboratory. There, it was quantitatively measured using a focus measuring chamber.
- Atomiade 2018: Register now for the sporting highlight at Lago MaggioreThe 16th Atomiade will be held in Varese, Italy, from 8 to 11 June 2018. The hosts request that people register informally now so that they can optimally plan the event. Every three years, employees of European research institutes take part in the Atomiade sporting competition. The event is held in the name of pleasure of sports and the mutual sharing of news and information.
- Solar hydrogen production by artificial leafs:Scientists analysed how a special treatment improves cheap metal oxide photoelectrodes
- Optical control of magnetic memory – new insights into fundamental mechanismsA research team at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has shown for the first time how laser modulation of magnetic properties in materials is influenced by thermal effects and how the process occurs under moderate experimental parameters. At the same time, the scientists discovered a previously unknown dependence on the thickness of the magnetic layer. This is an important clue for our theoretical understanding of optically controlled magnetic data storage media. The findings are published today in the journal Scientific Reports.
- Summer in the lab22 students from all over the world are working at HZB for eight weeks
- New model for bimolecular reactions in nanoreactorsTheoretical physicists have devised a mathematical model of two different molecules reacting within so called nanoreactors that act as catalysts. They gained surprising new insights as to what factors promote reactions and how to control and select them. The model is relevant for a wide range of research fields, from biophysics to energy materials.
- New magazine “lichtblick” is out: Select articles can be read in English on the website„The photon is our strength“, said Bernd Rech. Since the 1st of May 2017, he has been the acting Scientific Director of HZB. In our new magazine »lichtblick« we spoke with him about his most important duties, the strengths of HZB, and surprises the job held in store.
- User research at BER II: Lupin roots observed in the act of catching water from soil – so far too quick for 3D viewsLupins not only produce colourful blossoms but also nutritious beans rich in proteins. Just how these plants draw water approaching their roots in soil has now for the first time been observed in three dimensions by a University of Potsdam team at the HZB-BER II neutron source in Berlin. To accomplish this, they worked with the HZB imaging group to improve the temporal resolution of neutron tomography more than onehundred-fold so that a detailed 3D image was generated every ten seconds. This ultrafast neutron tomography is generally suitable as well for analyses of dynamic processes in porous materials.
- Writing with the electron beam: now in silverFor the first time an international team realized direct writing of silver nanostructures using an electron beam applied to a substrate. Silver nanostructures have the potential to concentrate visible light at the nanoscale. Potential applications include sensor design to detect extremely small traces of specific molecules, as well as devices for optical information processing.
- Record- efficiency solar cells realised by the HyPerCells Graduate SchoolThe University of Potsdam and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin founded the HyPerCells Graduate School just two years ago with focus on metal halide perovskites for solar applications. Now, groups involved in the graduate school have demonstrated perovskite solar cells with record-efficiencies of over 20 percent. This confirms the graduate school is at the forefront of this research in Germany and internationally highly competitive.
- Modern, concise and informative: HZB presents itselfA information brochure, illustrated throughout with a fusion of photos and sketches, serves as the new business card of HZB. In concise and understandable language, it describes the centre’s most important research focuses, introduces the large-scale facilities and laboratories, and shows why HZB is an internationally attractive place to work.
- Kickoff for Joint Lab with IFW DresdenThe Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW) and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have created a Joint Lab for “functional quantum materials” and under its umbrella a Young Investigator Group.
- 1130 Besucher bei der Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften am Standort WannseeDas HZB begrüßte zur „Klügsten Nacht des Jahres“ am 24. Juni 2017 mehr als tausend Gäste, darunter viele Kinder und Jugendliche. Quirliges Treiben auf unserer Wissenschaftsstraße, großer Andrang bei den Mitmach-Experimenten und beim Schülerlabor, interessierte Fragen zum Forschungsreaktor: Die Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften am HZB war bunt und facettenreich – und bot für jeden Geschmack etwas. Hier haben wir die schönsten Momente zusammengestellt.
- Die Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften am 24. Juni macht schlau - auch am HZB in WannseeDas Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin lädt am Samstag auf dem Campus Wannsee zur Langen Nacht der Wissenschaft ein. Unsere Highlights für Sie: Führungen durch die Experimentierbereiche um den Forschungsreaktor, durch die Energie-Labore und den Beschleuniger für die Augentumortherapie, eine Wissenschafts-Show und ein vielseitiges Kinderprogramm.
- EU project CALIPSOplus has started for free access to European light sourcesThe EU is providing ten million euros in funding for the project CALIPSOplus, submitted by 19 European light sources. The project consortium, of which Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is a member, kicked off on May 2017. CALIPSOplus is aimed at promoting the international exchange of scientists and transnational access to the light sources in Europe. Other priorities are to integrate the relatively less active regions of Europe and to initiate research projects with small and mid-sized companies.
- 100 kindergarten kids do experiments at HZB on the Day of Little ResearchersKindergarten children are inquisitive and want to know how everything works – and they ask a great deal of questions. On the Germany-wide "Day of Little Researchers" on 19 June, around 100 kids visited the HZB School Labs in Adlershof and Wannsee and investigated the colours of light.
- HZB researcher receives university-level teaching credential (Habilitation)Dr. Klaus Habicht has successfully completed the university-level teaching accreditation process in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Potsdam and received his official university-level teaching qualification for the physics of condensed matter. Habicht has conducted numerous lectures and seminars at the University of Potsdam since 2011, in particular in solid-state physics and methods in neutron research. He heads the Department of Methods for Characterisation of Transport Phenomenon in Energy Materials at the HZB.
- New at Campus Wannsee: CoreLab Quantum MaterialsHelmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has expanded its series of CoreLabs for energy materials research. In addition to the five established CoreLabs, it has now set up a CoreLab for Quantum Materials. A research team from the HZB Institute for Quantum Phenomena in New Materials is responsible for the CoreLab and its modern equipment. The CoreLab is also open to experimenters from other research institutes.
- New lab for electrochemical interfaces at BESSY IIThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is establishing a joint lab together with the Max Planck Society (MPS) to study electrochemical phenomenon at solid/liquid interfaces. The Berlin Joint Lab for Electrochemical Interfaces, or BElChem for short, will employ X-rays from BESSY II to analyse materials for renewable energy production.
- Using focussed ion beams in research - HZB workshop on focussed ion-beam engineering and application areasFocussed ion beams are highly useful tools for researchers in various disciplines. Samples can be etched in the micro- and nanometre range with them. Modern ion microscopes as well as their complementary methods and techniques are available at the HZB and can be utilised by scientists from universities and institutes from the world over. Now for the first time, the HZB is organising a workshop to introduce these methods and their areas of application. It will take place November 6th and 7th. The deadline for submitting abstracts is June 15.
- Cutting-edge research in Berlin: BESSY II light source to be equipped with new features and capabilitiesWith the transformation of the BESSY II light source into a variable-pulse-length storage ring, Berlin will become even more attractive as a location for science to researchers from the world over
- HZB paper appears in special anniversary edition of the Journal of Physics D: Applied PhysicsA paper on X-ray tomography of various types of batteries has been published as a highlight in the exclusive special edition of the Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. Two groups at the HZB along with a team from Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, contributed to the article.
- Intersolar Europe in Munich: HZB research meets solar industryAt the major international photovoltaics exhibition from 31 May to 2 June 2017, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) will be exhibiting solar energy research projects and presenting opportunities for industrial cooperation in the field of photovoltaics (PV).
- Trends and pathways to high-efficiency perovskite solar cellsPerovskite solar cells have been the big surprise over the last while: inside of only a few years, their efficiency level has been increased from just under 10 % to fully 22 %. There has never been such rapid progress in a new material for solar cells. Scientists around the world are therefore working on this new class of materials. Eva Unger and Steve Albrecht from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have evaluated trends in the advancement of perovskite materials in an invited review article in Journal of Materials Chemistry A. They point out what opportunities exist for advancing this class of materials, combining them with other semiconductors, and where limitations lie.
- Three-dimensional graphene: experiment at BESSY II shows that optical properties are tuneableAn international research team has for the first time investigated the optical properties of three-dimensional nanoporous graphene at the IRIS infrared beamline of the BESSY II electron storage ring. The experiments show that the plasmonic excitations (oscillations of the charge density) in this new material can be precisely controlled by the pore size and by introducing atomic impurities. This could facilitate the manufacture of highly sensitive chemical sensors.
- Better cathode materials for Lithium-Sulphur-BatteriesA team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has for the first time fabricated a nanomaterial made from nanoparticles of a titanium oxide compound (Ti4O7) that is characterised by an extremely large surface area, and tested it as a cathode material in lithium-sulphur batteries. The highly porous nanomaterial possesses high storage capacity that remains nearly constant over many charging cycles.
- New Helmholtz Young Investigator Group for electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide at HZB has startedDr. Matthew T. Mayer is setting up a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group in the field of energy materials research at HZB. He investigates how carbon dioxide and water can be converted electrochemically into hydrocarbons such as methane and methanol by using renewable energies. Matthew Mayer will receive 300,000 euros per year over a period of five years.
- HZB and Freie Universität Berlin establish the joint research group “X-Ray Microscopy” for studying complex cellular processesIn May this year, the joint research group “X-Ray Microscopy” was launched, combining the expertise of teams led by Prof. Dr. Gerd Schneider (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin) and Prof. Dr. Helge Ewers (Freie Universität Berlin). While Ewers’ group contributes its experience in the field of optical microscopy and biological research, the HZB workgroup is responsible for X-ray microscopy at the synchrotron source BESSY II. The two methods help researchers to gain a detailed insight into the processes taking place inside cells.
- HZB Distinguished Lecture on 13 June, 2 pm: Prof. Douglas MacFarlane speaks about “Hydrogen and Ammonia as Energy Carriers and for Energy Storage”We cordially invite you to the next “HZB Distinguished Lecture”, which will also be a commemorative event for our friend and colleague, Prof. Leone Spiccia, who passed away in December 2016. Leone held a professorship at Monash University in Australia and was connected with us through Humboldt and Helmholtz International Fellowships. To continue our work in his spirit, a close friend and collaborator of Leone, Prof. Douglas R. MacFarlane from Monash University, will deliver the key lecture on “Hydrogen and Ammonia as Energy Carriers and for Energy Storage – Progress and Perspectives”.
- The Young Investigators Workshop 2017 on Dynamic Pathways in Multidimensional Landscapes24 scientists from various countries participated in the Young Investigators Workshop 2017 on Dynamic Pathways in Multidimensional Landscapes in Grainau am Eibsee in the Bavarian Alps. This workshop which was organized by Professor Alexander Föhlisch was dedicated to study the research topics of the Helmholtz Virtual Institute 419. It included both experimental and theoretical projects on molecular and chemical dynamics, phase transitions and switching as well as fundamental light-matter interaction.
- Eindrücke von der Verabschiedung von Prof. Anke Kaysser-PyzallaAm 2. Mai haben wir Prof. Dr. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla mit einem Festkolloquium feierlich verabschiedet. Über 200 Gäste und Wegbegleiter aus der Wissenschaft und Politik sind gekommen, um ihr für die hervorragende Zusammenarbeit und ihr großes Engagement für das HZB zu danken. Unser Fotograf hat die schönsten Momente eingefangen.
- X-Ray microscopy: HZB-TXM is back in operationThe X-ray microscope (HZB-TXM) is back in operation. The TXM offers significantly better quality images compared to the former X-ray microscopy station.
- Bernd Rech becomes provisional Scientific Director of the HZB on May 1, 2017.Following the succession of long-serving Scientific Director Prof. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla to President of TU Braunschweig, the Supervisory Board of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has appointed Prof. Bernd Rech as provisional Scientific Director. He assumes this position as of May 1, 2017. Bernd Rech has headed the Institute for Silicon Photovoltaics at the HZB since 2006 and is highly esteemed worldwide as an expert in renewable energies.
- Ansturm auf die 70 Plätze beim Girl’s Day im HZBWie sieht die Arbeit von Wissenschaftlerinnen, Ingenieurinnen oder Programmiererinnen aus? Beim Girls‘ Day können Mädchen MINT-Berufe (Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaften und Technik) kennenlernen, die noch immer nicht besonders beliebt bei den Berufsanfängerinnen sind. Die 70 Plätze für den Girl’s Day an den beiden HZB-Standorten waren schnell vergeben.
- Nanodiamonds as energy materials: tuning the functionalitiesAn international team has shed light onto interactions between nanodiamonds and water molecules. Experiments at synchrotron sources showed how hydrogenated groups on nanodiamond surfaces change the network of hydrogen bonds in the aqueous environment and may potentially influence the catalytic properties of nanodiamonds, for instance for the production of solar fuels from CO2 and light.
- Michael Müller besucht das HZBHZB ist "wichtiger Impulsgeber für die Zukunft der Brain City Berlin"
- Registration open for Quantsol Summer SchoolNewcomers and young scientists in solar energy research can register now for the 10. International Summer School on Photovoltaics and New Concepts of Quantum Solar Energy Conversion (Quantsol). The school is organized by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the Technical University of Ilmenau and will be held from 3. to 10. September 2017 in Hirschegg, Kleinwalsertal, Austria. Applications can be submitted through the school’s homepage until May 21st, 2017.
- Green IT: New switching process in non-volatile spintronics devicesPhysicists achieved a robust and reliable magnetization switching process by domain wall displacement without any applied fields. The effect is observed in tiny asymmetric permalloy rings and may pave the way to extremely efficient new memory devices. The results have been published in Physical Review Applied, highlighted as an Editors' Suggestion.
- Neue HZB-Zeitung „lichtblick“ erschienenIn ihrem letzten Interview als Geschäftsführerin des HZB erläutert Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, warum sie gerade jetzt geht, obwohl sie eigentlich noch gern geblieben wäre. Nils Martensson lernen wir als Pendler zwischen Nobel-Komitee und HZB kennen. Und Marcus Bär erzählt, warum es sich in jedem Fall lohnt, bei den Kopernikus-Projekten der Bundesregierung dabei zu sein und warum die Forscherinnen und Forscher aus verschiedenen Disziplinen dabei erst einmal Vokabeln lernen müssen. (Online-Ausgabe) Auf der Mittelseite der lichtblick stellen wir das Projekt näher vor, an dem sich das HZB beteiligt.
- Yan Lu receives a professorship at the University of PotsdamDr. Yan Lu is a group leader at the Institute for “Soft Matter and Functional Materials”. At HZB, she is researching functional hybrid materials that consist of colloid particles. As of 1 April 2017, Yan Lu has been appointed as W2 Professor for Polymer-based Hybrid Materials at the University of Potsdam.
- CIGS Thin-film Solar Modules: HZB invites for workshopGlobal demand for photovoltaic systems is rising sharply. CIGS thin-film modules have become a hot topic for the solar industry. International experts will convene in Stuttgart on May 30, 2017, at the annual IW-CIGSTech workshop to discuss past and potential future technical and industrial advances in this solar technology. The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) are hosting the eighth installment of this workshop, which caters to scientists, engineers and industry specialists.
- Proton transfer: Researcher find mecanism to protect biomolecules against light induced damageA team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) together with researchers in Sweden and the USA has analysed a mecanism which protects biomolecules such as the DNA against damage by light. They observed how the energy of incoming photons can be absorbed by the molecule without destroying important bonds. The experiments took place at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) free-electron laser in California as well as the BESSY II synchrotron source at the HZB in Berlin, where with resonant inelastic X-ray-diffraction a very sensitive method is available.
- Foundation stone laying ceremony for an energy research laboratory on Wannsee campusA milestone has been reached in the expansion of energy materials research at the Lise-Meitner Campus: on 23 March 2017, the celebration was held for laying the foundation stone of a laboratory building that will offer a multitude of methods for synthesising and characterising energy materials.
- Finding and understanding low cost catalysts: it all comes down to the ironA team has investigated more than one hundred iron-nickel catalysts containing various admixtures of chromium. At BESSY II, they also analysed the configurations of the electrons in the individual elements. The team showed that an increasing proportion of chromium primarily influences the energy levels of the iron electrons, which are important for the catalytic effect. The results of this high-throughput study will assist the knowledge-based search for better specific catalysts.
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde was a guest of HZBFrom 15 to 16 March, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde, DGM (German association of materials science), held its closed board meeting and Advisory Council meeting at HZB. The experts took the occasion to visit the synchrotron source BESSY II and the neutron source BER II, gaining an insight into important future projects of HZB.
- Christiane Becker receives a professorship at HTW Berlin University of Applied SciencesProf. Dr. Christiane Becker has accepted the call to a W2 professorship for the field of “Experimental physics focusing on material sciences and photonics” at HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences. Since October 2012, she has headed a Young Investigator Group funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF.
- Young investigator group at HZB: Scaling perovskite cellsThe new Young Investigator Group Hy-Per-FORME led by Dr. Eva Unger is working on scaling all processing steps to enable manufacturing of perovskite solar cells on larger areas, thus brigding he gap between lab and industry.
- Dr. Antonio Abate sets up a new Helmholtz Young Investigator Group to improve life span of perovskite solar cellsDr. Antonio Abate sets up a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and moved to Berlin a few days ago. His aim: He wants to improve Perovskite solar cells which are one of the most promising material classes to be discovered in the last few years. The scientist will study the materials and interfaces of perovskite solar cells in order to improve their long-term stability.
- 20 participants join the first Photon School at HZBFrom 14 to 24 March, the first Photon School takes place at HZB. 20 students from 8 countries get an unique opportunity for a first-hand training covering a wide range of experimental and theoretical methods for probing the molecular structure, function, and dynamics of complex material systems. Leading experts from all fields of spectroscopy give lectures, share their latest results, and present future research strategies.
- Uschi Steigenberger receives prestigious British medal for her service to the sciencesWorld-reknowned physicist Dr. Uschi Steigenberger has been honoured with one of the highest decorations in Great Britain for her services to the sciences. She was awarded the Officer of the British Empire (OBE) medal by the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, Mr. Jo Johnson. Uschi Steigenberger has also chaired the Scientific Advisory Council of the HZB for many years.
- How to increase efficiencies of ultrathin CIGSe solar cellsNanoparticles at the back help harvesting the light.
- NextGen@Helmholtz Conference 2017 for PhD students from HelmholtzThe Conference will take place from 5 th to 7th July - please register until April 30th
- Highly sensitive method for detecting ion pairs in aqueous solution developed
Scientists of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Universität Heidelberg, and the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague have empirically detected a very specialised type of electron transfer in an aqueous salt solution, one which had only been predicted theoretically up to now. Based on these results, they now expect to have an extremely sensitive method for detecting ion pairs in solutions.
- Agreement signed: Three neutron instruments will be transferred to the Polish research reactor MARIA in 2019In February 2017 Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) in Poland agreed to transfer and rebuild three of HZB’s neutron scattering instruments at the Polish research reactor MARIA in 2019. With support from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the facility near Warsaw is currently being upgraded with latest generation technology, offering attractive research opportunities for neutron scientists from Germany and Europe.
- HZB and Freie Universität Berlin are establishing the joint research group “Macromolecular Crystallography”For eight years, HZB’s “Macromolecular Crystallography” workgroup has been successfully cooperating with the “Structural Biochemistry” research group headed by Prof. Markus Wahl at the Freie Universität Berlin. They are about to intensify this cooperation. The two institutes are establishing a joint research group dedicated to studying the biochemistry of genetic information processing. This research group benefits in particular from access to the three MX beamlines, where it can study protein crystals using the synchrotron light from BESSY II.
- Jetzt anmelden für den Girls’ Day am HZBAm 27. April 2017 ist wieder Girls' Day! An diesem Tag schnuppern Schülerinnen der Klassen 5 bis 10 deutschlandweit in die Welt der Technik, Ingenieur- und Naturwissenschaften. Auch am Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin finden zum Girls‘ Day wieder spannende Workshops statt. Jetzt startet die Anmeldung dafür auf der zentralen GirlS’Day-Webseite. Es stehen an beiden Standorten insgesamt 70 Plätze zur Verfügung.
- School labs of the HZB and Helmholtz Association are more popular with every yearThe aim of the Helmholtz school labs is to make science fun for children and adolescents. Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has run a school lab on the Wannsee campus since 2004 and on the Adlershof campus since 2010. During this time, more than 20,000 visitors have participated in the age-appropriate project days at HZB – and the numbers continue to rise.
- Neutron instrument BioRef arrived safely in Down UnderAs reported, the neutron instrument BioRef will be set up at the “Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering” of ANSTO. Approximately 257 components were safely packed in 43 wooden crates weighing just under 30 tonnes for the sea voyage from Hamburg to Port Botany, Australia. On 14 February the colleagues from ANSTO told us: the three shipping containers arrived safely after a two-month journey from Germany.
- NEAT starts user operationThe newly built time of flight spectrometre NEAT has welcomed its first users: Jie Ma from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and his colleague Zhilun Lu examined magnetic excitations in crystalline samples and enjoyed fast data rate and high flexibility of instrumental configurations. NEAT team is now looking forward to further new studies and user experiments!
- Dr. Alex Redinger receives assistant professorship at the University of LuxembourgAlex Redinger will be receiving two million euros in funding from the Luxembourg National Research Fund for expanding his research into solar cells materials. This is combined with an assistant professorship at the University of Luxembourg with the possibility of tenure. Redinger works as a postdoc in the “Structure and Dynamics of Energy Materials” department.
- 3000th ocular tumour patient treated using protons at HZBA team at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has now treated its 3000th ocular tumour patient with an individualised proton radiation protocol. This involves irradiating the tumour with fast hydrogen nuclei (protons) that have been accelerated to precisely set energies. These protons penetrate the healthy tissue and only release their energy in the tumour itself.
- Green light for upgrading BESSY II into a variable-pulse-length storage ring (BESSY-VSR)The General Assembly of the Helmholtz Association has unanimously endorsed the realisation of a unique accelerator project at the BESSY II synchrotron radiation source
- New Technical Project Manager for BESSY VSRAs of 1 January 2017, Dr. Pierre Schnizer is the new Technical Project Manager for BESSY VSR. In close coordination with the Scientific Project Managers Prof. Andreas Jankowiak and Prof. Jens Knobloch, Schnizer is supervising, among other things, the construction, infrastructure and integration of the necessary modules into the storage ring. In short, his responsibility in the project team is to ensure the successful technical construction of BESSY VSR.
- Solar based hydrogen generation: EU-project PECSYS aiming for technological breakthroughDevelopment of demonstrators measuring up to ten square meters in area planned
- Young Investigators Workshop of the Helmholtz Virtual Institute "Dynamic Pathways in Multidimensional Landscapes"The Virtual Institute explores the governing principles of material’s function in an internationally highly visible centre of excellence. From now on, young scientists (PhD students, master students, and young postdocs) are invited to participate in the Young Investigators Workshop that will take place from 23rd to 28th April 2017 at the Eibsee-Hotel in the Bavarian Alps. It focuses on the research topics of the Helmholtz Virtual Institute 419 and includes both experimental and theoretical projects on molecular and chemical dynamics, phase transitions and switching as well as fundamental light-matter interaction.
- PVcomB will help mass-produce the raw photovoltaic materials used in Wysips® technologySunpartner Technologies and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin sign license agreement
- 7.4 million euros from the EFRE fund: HZB is setting up a new application laboratory for developing superconducting accelerator componentsHelmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is receiving 7.4 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund (EFRE). The money is being used to set up the application laboratory “SupraLab@HZB” for the advancement of high-current superconducting cavities. These components will be needed for operating the next generation of novel, high-performance light sources. The laboratory will also provide complex superconducting component test beds for use by companies and research institutes in the region.
- Graduate school MatSEC: New PhD students can apply nowThe first students of the graduate school MatSEC (Materials for Solar Energy Conversion) have defended successfully their PhD thesis. The graduate school, which is organised jointly by Dahlem Research School of Freie Universität Berlin, is now open for new PhD-students. The research portfolio, which was focused on kesterites, does now include wide bandgap semiconductors and thermoelectrica as well.
- The BioRef neutron instrument to be set up again at ANSTO in AustraliaThe BioRef neutron instrument commenced its roughly two-month journey from HZB to Australia on December 19, 2016. It will be set up again at the OPAL neutron source there, part of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) in Sydney. It is expected to be available to the international scientific community beginning in 2018 under the name "Spatz".
- Prof. Dr. Martina Schmid assumes the professorship of experimental physics at the University of Duisburg-EssenOn 1 January 2017, Martina Schmid assumed the W2 professorship of “experimental physics” in the Physics department of the University of Duisburg Essen. From 2012 to the end of 2016, Martina Schmid headed the Helmholtz Young Investigator Group “Nano-Optical Concepts for Photovoltaics” at HZB.
- Frohe Weihnachten und alles Gute für 2017!Wir wünschen Ihnen ein frohes Fest und bedanken uns bei allen Kooperations- und Geschäftspartnern für die Zusammenarbeit. Den Leserinnen und Lesern unserer Webseite danken wir für ihre Treue. Wir wünschen Ihnen ein schönes Restjahr und freuen uns auf ein ereignisreiches neues Jahr 2017!
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is establishing a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group for electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxideDr. Matthew T. Mayer from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, will be putting together a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group in the field of energy materials research at HZB. He will be researching into how carbon dioxide and water can be converted electrochemically into hydrocarbons such as methane and methanol using renewable energies. Matthew Mayer will receive 300,000 euros per year over a period of five years for establishing and running his Young Investigator Group.
- Video über akustische Skulpturen zu BESSY VSR erschienenDer Klangkünstler Gerriet K. Sharma arbeitet an einem Projekt, zu dem ihn das Ausbauvorhaben BESSY VSR am HZB inspiriert hat. Dabei erschafft er in seinen Kompositionen akustische Skulpturen, die mit einem Ikosaederlautsprecher hörbar werden. Die Technik stellt die Firma Sonible zur Verfügung. Nun hat Sonible ein Video über dieses Projekt produziert, das ab sofort im Netz zu sehen (und zu hören!) ist.
- Prof. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla recommended for President of Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina zu BraunschweigThe Academic Senate of the Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig has recommended Prof. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla to the Ministry of Science and Culture for the State of Lower Saxony, Germany, as TU Braunschweig’s choice for its next President. The election took place December 14, 2016 in a joint session with the University Advisory Council. The Ministry will now take the recommendation under consideration. Ms. Kaysser-Pyzalla has been Scientific Director of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin since October 2008. During this time, she has placed the HZB in an excellent position within the German and international research landscape and noticeably elevated the visibility of its research capabilities.
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has gained a new Helmholtz Young Investigator Group to boost its energy materials research.The new group is working to prolong the life span of perovskite solar cells to 25 years and longer.
- Ernst-Eckhard-Koch-Preis und Innovationspreis SynchrotronstrahlungAm 8. Dezember 2016 vergab der Freundeskreis Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin zum 26. mal den Ernst-Eckhard-Koch-Preis für eine herausragende Promotionsarbeit auf dem Gebiet der Forschung mit Synchrotronstrahlung sowie den Innovationspreis Synchrotronstrahlung. Die Preisverleihung fand während des 8. BER II und BESSY II Nutzertreffens statt.
- Eighth Joint BER II and BESSY II User Meeting at HZBMore than 500 scientist have gathered at the eighth Joint BER II and BESSY II User Meeting at HZB on December 7th to 9th, 2016. The Verein Freundeskreis Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin e.V. did bestow the Innovation Award and the Ernst-Eckard-Koch Prize. A Poster prize was awarded to the best poster out of 200.
- rbb Heimatjournal zu Gast am HZBEin Blick übern Gartenzaun, ein Besuch in der Reaktorwerkstatt. Das HZB ist fester Bestandteil der Region Wannsee und bekam Besuch vom rbb Heimatjournal. Die Vorabendsendung des rbb besucht regelmäßig interessante Orte in Berlin und Brandenburg. Am 10. Dezember 2016 wurde die Sendung mit dem Titel "Ulli Zelle erkundet das alte Dorf Wannsee" im rbb ausgestrahlt. Wer sie verpasst hat, kann sie hier anschauen.
- Wege zur CO2-freien EnergieversorgungSieben Helmholtz-Zentren arbeiten an Systemlösungen für die künftige Energieversorgung
- Nobel Prize in Physics: Scientific work from Berlin contributes to the evidence of theoretical predictionsPioneering new areas of physics through measurement of quantum effects
- Personalia: BerufungenDas HZB hat kürzlich gemeinsam mit Universitäten und Hochschulen aus Berlin, Potsdam und Bielefeld mehrere Berufungsverfahren erfolgreich abgeschlossen. Mehr erfahren Sie in diesem Überblick:
- A new record at BESSY II: ten million ions in an ion trap cooled for the first time to 7.4 KMagnetic ground states spectroscopically ascertained
- More energy from the sun - Researchers road-test powerful method for studying singlet fissionSinglet fission could have a central role in the future development of solar cells.
- Talk given by Martina Schmid at PVSEC-26 laudedPVSEC-26, one of the largest international conferences in the field of photovoltaics, took place in Singapore at the end of October. Prof. Martina Schmid received a “Best Oral Presentation Award” for her talk in the field of New Materials and Concepts.
- Research for Germany’s energy transition: EMIL@BESSY II approved for the Kopernikus “Power-to-X” projectThe storage of excess solar and wind power is one of the greatest challenges in Germany’s energy transition. To address this, the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) has created the “Power-to-X” (P2X) project under its Kopernikus programme. P2X will advance research into converting electrical energy from the sun and wind into basic chemical compounds, gaseous energy media, and fuels. A total of 17 research institutions, 26 industrial enterprises, as well as three non-governmental organisations are involved, and the BMBF is funding the first development phase of the project at a level of 30 million Euros. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin will participate in the planned research, using the advanced synthesis capabilities and the BESSY II synchrotron-based X-ray characterization tools at the recently inaugurated EMIL@BESSY II laboratory complex.
- Helmholtz-Tag im HZB-SchülerlaborAm 15. November 2016 lud das Schülerlabor zum Helmholtz-Tag nach Wannsee ein. Die Fünftklässler der Peter-Witte-Grundschule aus Reinickendorf erhielten einen Einblick in die Arbeit von Hermann von Helmholtz und experimentierten zum Thema Magnetismus. Der Helmholtz-Tag fand zum fünften Mal in den Schülerlaboren in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft statt.
- HZB Distinguished Lecture on 21 November: Prof. Stuart Parkin speaks about spin and ion currents for future computing technologiesWe cordially invite you to the "HZB Distinguished Lectures". Prof. Stuart Parkin from the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Alexander von Humboldt Professor, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg will present on 21 November 2016 his thoughts on "Beyond charge currents: spin and ion currents for future computing technologies".
- Birgit Schröder-Smeibidl is the new Administrative Director of the German Institute of Human Nutrition, DIfEOn 1 November, HZB’s longstanding head of "Facility Management" and security chief, Dr. Birgit Schröder-Smeibidl, moved to the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam. The HZB management congratulates Ms. Schröder-Smeibidl on her new post.
- Speeding up CIGS solar cell manufactureSpeeding up CIGS solar cell manufacture
- Methods at BESSY II: Versatile cross-correlator for ultrafast X-ray experimentsParticularly in the soft X-ray range experimentalists are lacking a broadband method to correlate ultrashort X-ray and laser pulses in space and time. Only recently, a team from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the University of Potsdam was able to achieve this by utilizing a standard molybdenum-silicon (Mo/Si) multilayer mirror at the FemtoSpeX facility at BESSY II. They use femtosecond laser pulses to modulate the multilayer period under the Bragg condition on a sub-picosecond up to nanosecond timescale which in turn strongly affects the mirror’s X-ray reflectivity. The presented Mo/Si cross-correlator works for the soft up to the hard X-ray regime as well as for a broad range of laser pump wavelengths (mid-IR to UV) and renders this technique as an easy to implement and versatile timing tool for various synchrotron- and lab-based pump-probe experiments. The results are published in the journal of "Structural Dynamics".
- HZB and ANSTO have extended their Memorandum of UnderstandingAdvancing energy materials research together
- Kathrin Aziz-Lange is a professor at the University of BielefeldAs of 1 November 2016, Kathrin Aziz-Lange is a junior professor at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Bielefeld. The physicist has been head of a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin since January 2016. She and her team are investigating defects in material systems for generating solar fuels, using the diverse in-operando characterisation methods offered by the synchrotron source BESSY II.
- EMIL, a 2000-square-metre laboratory complex, has opened for research into new energy materialsAfter three years of construction, the Energy Materials In-Situ Laboratory (EMIL) is now open. The new laboratory complex for researching energy materials, annexed to BESSY II in Berlin-Adlershof, was ceremonially inaugurated with the involvement of the Federal Minister of Research, Johanna Wanka, on 31 October 2016. At the new laboratory, which offers direct access to the brilliant light of the electron storage ring BESSY II, researchers are looking to synthesise and analyse materials for future renewable energy generation. Around 20 million euros were invested in the construction of the laboratory.
- Young researchers from eleven countries attended the Autumn School of the Helmholtz virtual institute “Microstructure Control for Thin-Film Solar Cells”From the 9th to the 14th of October 2016, the “Autumn School on Microstructural Characterisation and Modelling of Thin-Film Solar Cells” brought together lecturers and participants from eleven different countries. In the Akademie Berlin-Schmöckwitz, 30 postgrads and postdocs discussed characterisation and simulation methods for the development of efficient thin-film solar cells.
- Methodology advance at HZB: ionic liquids simplify laser experiments on liquid samplesAn HZB team has developed a new approach to conduct photoemission spectroscopy of molecules in solution. This has been difficult up to now because the sample needed to be situated in vacuum – but liquids evaporate. The work has now demonstrated it is feasible to replace the solvent with an ionic liquid of low vapor pressure, which does not perturb the sample characteristics. This allows the molecules to be excited with a laser pulse and to record the behaviour of the excited energy states. It provides insight into the physical and chemical processes of novel liquid energy materials that might be employed in organic solar cells or catalysts, for instance.
- Twitter Storify: All about the Foresight Workshop on Energy Materials Research at BESSY IIThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie focuses on developing advanced materials for solar energy conversion and storage and wants to extend a discussion platform for future projects and research activities. Therefore HZB invites current and future users from universities, research institutes and industry to the BESSY II Foresight Workshop which takes place from October 10 – 11, 2016. These discussions help HZB identifying prospective scientific fields and – very importantly - the expectations, needs and requirements from the user communities for cutting edge science with synchrotron radiation. Here is the workshop programme.
- Future Information Technologies: New combinations of materials for producing magnetic monopolesAn international collaboration at BESSY II has discovered a new method to inscribe exotic magnetic patterns such as magnetic monopoles into thin ferromagnetic films. Such unconventional orientation of magnetic domains might open a new path for the design of energy efficient data storage. The new materials system consists of regular arrays of superconducting YBaCuO-dots covered with an extremely thin permalloy film. A shortly applied external magnetic field leads to the creation of supercurrents within the superconducting dots. These currents produce a complex magnetic field pattern, which is inscribed into the permalloy film above. The results are published in Advanced Science.
- Diana Quintero Castro gets a professorship at the University of Stavanger, NorwayDiana Quintero Castro has been appointed as associate professor in the faculty of science and technology at the University of Stavanger. At HZB she is responsible for the cold triple axis neutron spectrometer FLEXX at the neutron source BER II and focuses on magnetism. She will continue her research focuses on magnetic materials by using neutron scattering at different neutron sources. She has accepted her appointment and will leave HZB at the end of December, 2016.
- HZB-Schülerlabor zu Gast bei der SchülerUni der Freien Universität BerlinVom 26. bis 30. September 2016 öffnet die Freie Universität Berlin ihren Campus für Berliner Schulen. Unter dem Motto „Lernen für eine zukunftsfähige Welt“ bietet sie 80 verschiedene Workshops an und verwandelt Hörsäle und Seminarräume in Mitmachlabore und Kreativwerkstätten. Das HZB-Schülerlabor unterstützt die SchülerUni mit zwei Workshops zum Thema „Nachhaltigkeit und Klimaschutz“.
- Nanotechnology for energy materials: Electrodes like leaf veinsNano-sized metallic wires are attracting increasing attention as conductive elements for manufacturing transparent electrodes, which are employed in solar cells and touch screen panels. In addition to high electric conductivity, excellent optical transmittance is one of the important parameters for an electrode in photovoltaic applications. An international team headed by HZB scientist Prof. Michael Giersig has recently demonstrated for these applications that networks of metallic mesh possessing fractal-like nano-features surpass other metallic networks in utility. These findings have now been published in the most recent edition of the renowned journal Nature Communications.
- Neue HZB-Zeitung "lichtblick" erschienenIn der neuen Ausgabe erwarten Sie viele interessante Themen. Unter anderem erzählt Simone Raoux, warum sich viele Forscherinnen und Forscher auf die Eröffnungen des Energy Materials In-situ Laboratory (EMIL)-Labors am 31. Oktober 2016 freuen. Mit dem Anschluss an das Synchrotronlicht von BESSY II können die Forschenden eine unglaubliche Vielfalt an Energie-Materialien charakterisieren. Hier geht es zur Online-Ausgabe.
- Advancing methodology at BESSY II: Automated evaluation speeds up the search for new active substanceThe macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamlines at the BESSY II X-ray source are specially designed to highly automated structural analyses of protein crystals. With up to now more than 2000 solved structures of protein molecules, these beamlines are by far the most productive ones in Germany and are in vigorous demand by groups from either an academic and industrial research area. Now teams from HZB and Philipps-Universität Marburg in Germany have automated the evaluation of data records as well. The newly developed expert system identifies small molecule fragments bound to proteins in the raw X-ray diffraction data. These fragments represent suitable starting points for the development of an active substance. Using a series of 364 samples, the collaborating partners demonstrated that the expert system works reliably and can speed up the search for a suitable active agents.
- VI-Conference "Dynamic Pathways in Multidimensional Landscapes 2016"Near the museum island, in the heart of Berlin, the International Conference "Dynamic Pathways in Multidimensional Landscapes 2016" has taken place last week. More than 100 international experts met at the Magnus-Haus of the German Physical Society from 12 -16 September 2016.
- Aktion STADTRADELN: HZB-Team derzeit auf dem vierten Platz in Berlin3100 Kilometer haben die Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter des HZB-Team in nur einer Woche mit dem Rad zurückgelegt. Damit landet das HZB im berlinweiten Ranking der Aktion STADTRADELN derzeit auf Platz 4. Die Aktion zeigt: Radfahren für den Klimaschutz - das geht. Denn in nur einer Woche hat das HZB-Team insgesamt mehr als 440 Kilogramm Kohlenstoffdioxid eingespart. Der Aktionszeitraum läuft vom 9. bis 29. September 2016.
- Manual of characterisation techniques for thin-film solar cells published with the involvement of HZB researchersIn August 2016, the second, enlarged edition of the reference book "Advanced Characterization Techniques for Thin-Film Solar Cells" appeared from renowned publisher WILEY-VCH. Co-editor is HZB researcher Dr. Daniel Abou-Ras. A total of eleven authors from HZB wrote chapters for this reference. It provides a comprehensive overview of many characterisation and modelling techniques that can be employed for solar cell materials and components.
- International conference QENS 2016 and Workshop WINS 2016 in PotsdamFrom 5th to 9th of September HZB has hosted two international scientific events dedicated to the study of the dynamics at nanoscale, QENS and WINS 2016. While Quasielastic Neutron scattering conference (QENS 2016) was dedicated to the scientific applications, international Workshop on Inelastic spectrometers WINS 2016 allowed to touch on the instrumental aspects. 108 scientists from all over the world participated in these events organized in the heart of the Potsdam.
- User research at BESSY II: How water moves glassIn the realm of plants, capillary forces are a widely observed impetus for actuation. They are the physical basis for the expansion of porous materials during uptake of fluid. Such materials include the cones of conifers with their readily observable movement during drying or wetting. Scientists at the Chair of Biogenic Polymers of the Technical University Munich, located at the Science Center Straubing, have succeeded in retaining this plant-derived movement when the respective plant has been replaced by an artificial petrification process. Elaborate analyses at the synchrotron source BESSY II in Berlin showed that the internal structure of the pine cone was retained. Thereby, they laid the foundations for a new generation of sensoric materials.
- Veranstaltungshinweis: Vortrag Potsdamer Köpfe mit Daniel Abou-Ras und Vernissage der Ausstellung „Das Bild entsteht im Kopf“ von Kerstin BertholdAm 8. September lädt die Wissenschaftsetage im Bildungsforum Potsdam zu zwei interessanten Veranstaltungen ein. Den Auftakt macht Daniel Abous-Ras um 18 Uhr mit seinem Vortrag: „Das lässt tief blicken – Solarzellen unter dem Mikroskop“. Der Physiker zeigt dabei, wie die Entwicklung neuer Solarzellen durch verschiedene Methoden der Mikroskopie unterstützt werden kann. Diese Bilder inspirierten die Künstlerin Kerstin Berthold unter anderem zu ihren Collagen, die im Anschluss an den Vortrag in der Ausstellung „Das Bild entsteht im Kopf“ zu sehen sind. Die Vernissage findet um 19:30 Uhr statt.
- Start in das BerufslebenSieben Auszubildende und fünf Teilnehmer dualer Studiengänge beginnen dieses Jahr ihre Ausbildung am HZB. Am 1. September wurden sie von Thomas Frederking, dem kaufmännischen Geschäftsführer des HZB, und den Ausbildenden herzlich begrüßt.
- Honoured with poster prize and introductory talkMean free path of electron scattering in liquid water considerably shorter than supposed
- European project for thin film Kesterite Solar cells has reached its goalsEleven partners from different countries have joined forces in the EU-research project KESTCELLS from September 2012 until 31. August 2016. The mission was to train a new generation of experts and to increase the efficiencies of Kesterite solar cells. Now, at the end of the project, these goals have been perfectly reached.
- Silicon thin fims in Lithium-Ion-Batteries: Charging observed with neutron measurementsThe capacity of lithium-ion batteries might be increased theoretically by six times by using anodes made of silicon instead of graphite. A team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) Institute of Soft Matter and Functional Materials has observed for the first time in detail how lithium ions migrate into thin films of silicon. It was shown that extremely thin layers of silicon would be sufficient to maximise the load of lithium. The results are published in the journal ACSnano.
- Started: International Summer Student ProgrammeComing from all over the world, 18 students have joined HZB as guests for this summer. From August 1 until September 23 they take part in the international summer student programme, HZB is organising since over 25 years. During the following weeks, the students can work in close cooperation with HZB teams on a project in energy materials research.
- Two Freigeist Fellows interweave their research at HZBTwo Freigeist Fellows are conducting research at the HZB Institute for Methods of Material Development through support received from the Volkswagen Foundation. Theoretical chemist Dr. Annika Bande is modelling fast electron processes, while Dr. Tristan Petit is investigating carbon nanoparticles. Annika Bande has now been awarded an ancillary grant of an additional 150,000 Euros from the Volkswagen Foundation to fund another doctoral student position for three years. The doctoral research will connect the two Freigeist research projects with one another.
- Topping-out ceremony for new accelerator hall at HZBThe shell for the bERLinPro building – the test facility for an energy-recovery linear accelerator at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin – is now complete. The extremely complex structure was erected at the Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen Campus of HZB in Berlin-Adlershof in just ten months. The topping-out ceremony took place on July 27, 2016 at 13:00 in the presence of construction firms, guest VIPs, and HZB staff.
- Invitation - Topping-out ceremony for new accelerator hall at HZBThe shell for the bERLinPro building – the test facility for an energy-recovery linear accelerator at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin – is now complete. The extremely complex structure was erected at the Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen Campus of HZB in Berlin-Adlershof in just ten months. The topping-out ceremony will take place on July 27, 2016 at 13:00 in the presence of construction firms, guest VIPs, and HZB staff.
- Novel state of matter: Observation of a quantum spin liquidA novel and rare state of matter known as a quantum spin liquid has been empirically demonstrated in a monocrystal of the compound calcium-chromium oxide by team at HZB. What is remarkable about this discovery is that according to conventional understanding, a quantum spin liquid should not be possible in this material. A theoretical explanation for these observations has now also been developed. This work deepens our knowledge of condensed matter and might also be important for future developments in quantum information. The results have just been published in Nature Physics.
- Klangkunst im Speicherring, Ausstellung im Rohbau: Der Juli steht ganz im Zeichen der Kunst am HZBMalerei, Installation, Foto, Video, Performance: Studierende und bereits etablierte Kunstschaffende stellen in der unterirdischen Teilchenbeschleunigerhalle bERLinPro aus. Das Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) als Bauherr, DGI Bauwerk als Architekten und der Kurator Enno Wallis laden unter dem Titel SPEED zu einer außergewöhnlichen Kunstausstellung ein. Sie wird am Freitag, den 29. Juli um 19 Uhr eröffnet und wird dann für zwei Tage bis zum 31. Juli zu sehen sein. Am Sonntag wird um 15:00 Uhr der TIBES ART AWARD II verliehen - ein Kunstpreis, der an drei Aussteller geht. Der erste Preis wird von DGI Bauwerk gestiftet. Der Eintritt ist frei.
- Kunstausstellung im Beschleuniger-Rohbau des HZB vom 29. bis 31. JuliMalerei, Installation, Foto, Video, Performance: Studierende und bereits etablierte Kunstschaffende stellen in der unterirdischen Teilchenbeschleunigerhalle bERLinPro aus. Das Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) als Bauherr, DGI Bauwerk als Architekten und der Kurator Enno Wallis laden unter dem Titel SPEED zu einer außergewöhnlichen Kunstausstellung ein. Sie wird am Freitag, den 29. Juli um 19 Uhr eröffnet und bis zum 31. Juli zu sehen sein. Der Eintritt ist frei.
- HZB experts at the Parliamentary Evening of the Deutsche Physikalische GesellschaftHelmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, as a major German research institute for energy research, took part in the Parliamentary Evening of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG). Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech of the HZB Institute for Silicon Photovoltaics was the scientific director for the event. The patron of the evening dedicated to “The Energy of Tomorrow and Beyond” was Edelgard Bulmahn, Vice-President of the German Bundestag.
- Sound artist Gerriet K. Sharma designs sound sculptures of BESSY VSRFrom 13 to 19 July 2016, the artist will be recording sounds on location
- X-ray CoreLab now in operation and availableAll regular HZB scientists as well as visiting scientists can now use the diverse X-ray diffractometry equipment at the X-ray CoreLab, effective immediately. Each instrument is up-to-date with the latest versions of hardware & software and specialised for certain investigations. Instrument time will be allocated via the Online Calendar.
- Monash University awards three HZB-scientist with adjunct professorshipsCooperation between Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, is thriving. Now, Monash University has awarded three HZB-scientists with adjunct professorships: Prof. Klaus Lips, Dr. Alexander Schnegg and Prof. Emad Aziz have been working several years already with Prof. Leone Spiccia, an internationally renowned chemist at Monash University, on energy materials science.
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin at European Photovoltaic Solar Energy ConferenceOn 23rd June, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the ZSW jointly organised the IW-CIGSTech 7 as a side event of the EU-PVSEC Conference in Munich. About 150 international attendees, mainly from Europe, Asia and North America came together to get an extensive overview of the latest CIGS scientific and technological developments in CIGS thin-film solar cells and their industrial applications worldwide.
- event note: Thomas Struth presents a photography of BESSY II at Martin-Gropius-Bau BerlinThomas Struth is internationally considered one of the most important artists of his generation. For the first time, his work will be displayed at the Berliner Martin-Gropius-Bau. The exhibition will feature approximately 37 large-format photographs from the years 2005 through 2016. Right at the entrance, the large-scale work "Measuring, Helmholtz-Zentrum, Berlin 2012" is placed. The exhibition can be visited until 18 September.
- Picture Gallery: Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften at HZBIt was an exciting evening: 4000 visitors came to HZB during the „Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften”. Our photographer Phil Dera caught the best moments of this evening with his camera. Please take a look: Here you find our Picture Gallery.
- Data policy finalized for research data at HZBResearchers retain exclusive access to their data for five years
- New effect on laser induced switching for higher data densitiesAn international collaboration has now demonstrated a completely new approach to increase data density in storage media. They used ultra-short laser pulses to trigger a phase transition in the ferromagnetic material BaFeO3 (BFO). Experiments at the Femtospex facility at BESSY II of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin showed that by inducing this phase transition, magnetic domains can be easily manipulated. These magnetic domains are otherwise very stable and therefore suited for long-time data storage. The results have been published in Phys. Rev. Letters now.
- User Community Science: Soft decoupling of organic molecules on metalAn international team has discovered an elegant way to decouple organic nanosheets grown on metal surfaces. After iodine intercalation, measurements at the synchrotron source BESSY II of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) showed that a network of organic molecules behaved almost as it was free-standing. The strong influence of the metal on the network was reduced. This opens up new ways to transfer organic nanostructures from metal surfaces onto more suitable substrates for molecular electronics. The results have been published in “Angewandte Chemie”.
- Talk of Dr. Catherine Dubourdieu on June 23rd 2016The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is boosting its energy materials research and setting up the newly established institute “Functional Oxides for Energy-Efficient Information Technology”, under the leadership of Dr. Catherine Dubourdieu. On this occasion we like to draw your attention to the talk of Dr. Catherine Dubourdieu about „Functional oxides for energy efficient information technology: from material to device“ on June 23rd at 1 pm in the lecture hall at Lise Meitner Campus Wannsee.
- Progress in the application of spin effects in graphene: from the metal to the semiconductor worldGraphene on silicon carbide could be an interesting candidate for future spintronik components. Squeezing gold atoms between the semiconducting substrate and graphene does enhance spin-orbit interaction at hot spots and shows ways to controll the spins. First results at BESSY II are now published in Applied Physics Letters.
- Spintronics: Resetting the future of Heat Assisted Magnetic RecordingA HZB team has examined thin films of Dysprosium-Cobalt sputtered onto a nanostructured membrane at BESSY II. They showed that new patterns of magnetization could be written in a quick and easy manner after warming the sample to only 80 °Celsius, which is a much lower temperature as compared to conventional Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording systems. This paves the way to fast and energy efficient ultrahigh density data storage. The results are published now in the new journal Physical Review Applied.
- Forschungsmagazin Sichtbar erschienenEine neue Ausgabe des HZB-Forschungsmagazins Sichtbar ist erschienen. Das Magazin richtet sich an eine breite Öffentlichkeit und stellt Menschen am HZB und ihre Forschung an Energie-Materialien vor.
- 4000 Besucher bei der Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften am HZBAm 11. Juni 2016 strömten fast 4000 Menschen zur Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften an das Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin am Standort Adlershof. Mitgebracht haben die Besucher viele Fragen, Neugier und Spaß am Experimentieren. Ein Besuchermagnet war der Elektronenspeicherring BESSY II, den 2900 Menschen besichtigten. Das Institut für Silizium-Photovoltaik lockte mit Laborführungen, Vorträgen und Experimente zum Thema Energie 1100 Besucher an. In einem Storify haben wir die schönsten Momente eingefangen. Außerdem gibt es eine Bildergalerie.
- Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften am 11. Juni von 17 bis 24 Uhr am HZB – Vorbeikommen und StaunenWissenschaft hochaktuell – das gibt es an vielen Instituten und Universitäten wieder am 11. Juni zur Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften. Doch einen Teilchenbeschleuniger von innen bestaunen – das können die Besucher nur am HZB. Wir laden Sie herzlich ein, sich auf einen Rundgang durch BESSY II in Adlershof zu begeben. Warum braucht man solche aufwendigen Anlagen? Und wofür ist das Licht gut, das im Beschleuniger entsteht? Kommen Sie am 11. Juni vorbei – und finden Sie es selbst heraus.
- User research at BESSY II: nanostructures in human teeth
Dentin is one of the most durable biological materials in the human body. Researchers from Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin were able to show that the reason for this can be traced to its nanostructures and specifically to the interactions between the organic and inorganic components. Measurements performed at BESSYII, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin's synchrotron radiation source, showed that it is the mechanical coupling between the collagen protein fibers and mineral nanoparticles which renders dentin capable of withstanding extreme forces. Results from this research have been recently published in the journal Chemistry of Materials. - Neuer „lichtblick“ erschienenEin Forscher mit Vision: Das ist der Franzose Tristan Petit. Er will synthetische Nanodiamanten entwickeln, die mit Sonnenlicht und Kohlendioxid solare Brennstoffe wie Methan produzieren. In der Titelgeschichte erzählt der Freigeist-Stipendiat aus dem Team von Emad Aziz, was er alles vorhat.
- Call for Applications: 20 doctoral fellowships offered by Graduate School of Analytical Sciences AdlershofSALSA, the Graduate School of Analytical Sciences Adlershof at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, is announcing 20 doctoral fellowships. The program offers a structured, three-year period of multidisciplinary research combined with an integrated curriculum in Analytical Sciences. The HZB supports SALSA by supervising some PhD students. Deadline for application is June 13th, 2016.
- Ferrous chemistry in aqueous solution unravelledAn HZB team has combined two different analytical methods at the BESSY II synchrotron source in order to extract more information about the chemistry of transition-metal compounds in solution. These kinds of compounds can act as catalysts to promote desirable reactions in energy materials, but their behaviour has not been completely understood thus far. The team demonstrated how a detailed picture of the electronic states can be ascertained by systematically comparing all of the interactive electronic processes in a simple system of aqueous iron(II). The results have now been published in Scientific Reports, the open access journal from Nature Group publishing.
- Helmholtz Innovation Labs: HySPRINT at HZBHZB will be setting up the new Helmholtz HySPRINT Innovation Lab for jointly developing new combinations of materials and processes in energy applications with commercial partners. Silicon and metal-organic perovskite crystals will be the centre point of the Lab’s work. The Helmholtz Association is supporting the project for the next five years with 1.9 million Euros from its Initiative and Networking Fund, with additional contributions from HZB itself as well as from industry.
- Autumn School on Microstructural Characterization and Modelling of Thin-Film Solar CellsAfter the successful first edition of this school in 2014, we invite you cordially to join this Autumn School to be held at Akademie Schmöckwitz, Berlin, Germany, October 9-14, 2016. Application submission will be possible until June 30, 2016.
- Intersolar Europe / EU PVSEC / 7th IW-CIGSTech Workshop 2016 – Munich, 20-24 June 2016We cordially invite you to visit the HZB booth during Intersolar Europe - The world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry and its partners from 22 to 24 June 2016 in Munich, Germany. Also the online registration is open for the EU-PVSEC and we invite you to join the 7th IW-CIGSTech Workshop and Dinner on 23 June 2016, a joint meeting from HZB and ZSW organised as a parallel event of the EU-PVSEC.
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