HZB Newsroom
- Freeze casting - a guide to creating hierarchically structured materialsFreeze casting is an elegant, cost-effective manufacturing technique to produce highly porous materials with custom-designed hierarchical architectures, well-defined pore orientation, and multifunctional surface structures. Freeze-cast materials are suitable for many applications, from biomedicine to environmental engineering and energy technologies. An article in "Nature Reviews Methods Primer" now provides a guide to freeze-casting methods that includes an overview on current and future applications and highlights characterization techniques with a focus on X-ray tomoscopy.
- Cooperation with the Korea Institute of Energy ResearchOn Friday, 19 April 2024, the Scientific Director of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Bernd Rech, and the President of the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), Yi Chang-Keun, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Daejeon (South Korea).
- Clean cooking fuel with a great impact for southern AfricaBurning biomass for cooking causes harmful environmental and health issues. The German-South African GreenQUEST initiative is developing a clean household fuel. It aims to reduce climate-damaging CO2 emissions and to improve access to energy for households in sub-Saharan Africa.
- A simpler way to inorganic perovskite solar cellsInorganic perovskite solar cells made of CsPbI3 are stable over the long term and achieve good efficiencies. A team led by Prof. Antonio Abate has now analysed surfaces and interfaces of CsPbI3 films, produced under different conditions, at BESSY II. The results show that annealing in ambient air does not have an adverse effect on the optoelectronic properties of the semiconductor film, but actually results in fewer defects. This could further simplify the mass production of inorganic perovskite solar cells.
- BESSY II: How pulsed charging enhances the service time of batteriesAn improved charging protocol might help lithium-ion batteries to last much longer. Charging with a high-frequency pulsed current reduces ageing effects, an international team demonstrated. The study was led by Philipp Adelhelm (HZB and Humboldt University) in collaboration with teams from the Technical University of Berlin and Aalborg University in Denmark. Experiments at the X-ray source BESSY II were particularly revealing.
- Fuel Cells: Oxidation processes of phosphoric acid revealed by tender X-raysThe interactions between phosphoric acid and the platinum catalyst in high-temperature PEM fuel cells are more complex than previously assumed. Experiments at BESSY II with tender X-rays have decoded the multiple oxidation processes at the platinum-electrolyte interface. The results indicate that variations in humidity can influence some of these processes in order to increase the lifetime and efficiency of fuel cells.
- Best Innovator Award 2023 for Artem MusiienkoDr. Artem Musiienko has been awarded a special prize for his groundbreaking new method for characterising semiconductors. At the recent annual conference of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) in Milan, Italy, he received the MCAA Award for the best innovation. Since 2023, Musiienko has been carrying out his research project with a postdoctoral fellowship from the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions in Antonio Abate's department, Novel Materials and Interfaces for Photovoltaic Solar Cells (SE-AMIP).
- The future of BESSYAt the end of February 2024, a team at HZB published an article in Synchrotron Radiation News (SRN). They describe the next development goals for the light source as well as the BESSY II+ upgrade programme and the successor source BESSY III.
- Sodium-ion batteries: How doping worksSodium-ion batteries still have a number of weaknesses that could be remedied by optimising the battery materials. One possibility is to dope the cathode material with foreign elements. A team from HZB and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has now investigated the effects of doping with Scandium and Magnesium. The scientists collected data at the X-ray sources BESSY II, PETRA III, and SOLARIS to get a complete picture and uncovered two competing mechanisms that determine the stability of the cathodes.
- Prof. Dr. Yan Lu: Developing new types of batteries sustainablyYan Lu is appointed new Professor of Hybrid Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion at Friedrich Schiller University Jena together with HZB. Congratulations!
- Steve Albrecht is one of the “Highly Cited Researchers 2023”Every year, countless articles are published in specialist journals. The information service provider Clarivate uses a recognised method to measure the influence of the published articles on the respective subject area. According to this year's evaluation, HZB researcher Steve Albrecht is one of the most "highly cited researchers" having a significant influence on his field. Albrecht and his team have been involved in several world records for tandem solar cells in recent years and have published the results in high-ranking scientific journals.
- Curious Mind Award for Michelle BrowneOn Thursday, 12 October 2023, Michelle Browne received a prestigious award in Hamburg: The "Curious Mind Award" in the category "Mobility, Energy and Sustainable Business" by manager magazin.
- Green Deal Ukraina: Energy and Climate Agenda for Ukraine’s way towards EUThe first high-level event of the Green Deal Ukraina (GDU) project took place in October in Kyiv, Ukraine, attended by more than 150 participants. This first gathering and formal launch took place at an important moment: EU will share a new report on the countries progress towards EU and Ukraine will respond by sharing its own analysis, called pre-screening.
- Green hydrogen could reach economic viability by co-production of valuable chemicalsIt already works: there are several approaches to using solar energy to split water and produce hydrogen. Unfortunately, this green hydrogen has so far been more expensive than grey hydrogen from natural gas. A study by Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Technische Universität Berlin now shows how green hydrogen from sunlight can become profitable.
- Technology Transfer Prize: Tandem solar cells step closer to industrial pilot productionTandem solar cells achieve high efficiencies: by combining two different types of solar cells, more sunlight is converted into electricity. PV manufacturer Qcells and a HZB team led by Dr. Kári Sveinbjörnsson and Bor Li have developed the technology to an extent, that Qcells invested in setting up a pilot line for the development of tandem cells in Saxony-Anhalt. For this successful transfer into industrial application, both researchers received the Technology Transfer Prize of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin worth 5,000 euros, on 4. October 2023.
- Revolutionary material science: Helmholtz High Impact Award for Novel Tandem Solar CellsA multidisciplinary team from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) is researching and improving novel tandem solar cells in order to bring them into application. For their approach and research achievements, Steve Albrecht, Antonio Abate and Eva Unger from HZB and Michael Saliba from FZJ received the High Impact Award on 27 September 2023. With the award, which comes with 50,000 euros in prize money, the Helmholtz Association and the Donors’ Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany honour innovative approaches that have the potential to act as game-changers.
- Record-breaking tandem solar cell now with precise scientific explanationsThe world's best tandem solar cells, consisting of a silicon bottom cell and a perovskite top cell, can today convert around one-third of incident solar radiation into electrical energy. These are record values, especially for a potentially very low-cost technology. A team at HZB is now providing the scientific data for the first time and describing how this development was achieved in the renowned journal Science.
- BESSY II: What drives ions through polymer membranesPhotoelectrolysers and electrolysis cells can produce green hydrogen or fossil-free carbon compounds – but they require ion-exchange membranes. An HZB team has now studied the transport of ions through the membrane in a hybrid liquid gas electrolyzer at the X-ray source BESSY II. Contrary to expectations, however, concentration differences hardly drive electric field ions. Diffusion is therefore the decisive process. This finding could help in the development of highly efficient and significantly more environmentally friendly membrane materials.
- HZB and University of Jena establish Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy ApplicationsFriedrich Schiller University Jena and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (Helmholtz Centre for Materials and Energy, HZB) will jointly establish the "Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications" (HIPOLE) on 1 July 2023. The aim of HIPOLE is to develop sustainable polymer materials for energy technologies that can be rapidly brought into application, in particular polymer-based batteries and perovskite solar cells with polymer additives. HIPOLE will be funded with up to 5.5 million euros per year by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, 90%) and the Free State of Thuringia (10%). In the start-up phase until 2028, the Free State of Thuringia will additionally fund the new institute with more than ten million euros and take over the financing of the construction costs for the laboratories and offices.
- Green Deal Ukraina: HZB launches an Energy & Climate ProjectGreen Deal Ukraina, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is working with partner institutions in Ukraine and Poland to establish an energy and climate think tank in the capital, Kiev. The aim is to provide independent and evidence-based advice on rebuilding a sustainable energy system in Ukraine. After all, the implementation of energy and climate legislation is a prerequisite for Ukraine's accession to the EU. The project started on 1 June 2023 and will run for four years.
- Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Grant for Dr. Jie WeiIn April, Dr. Jie Wei started his research work in the Helmholtz Young Investigator Group Nanoscale Operando CO2 Photo-Electrocatalysis at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Fritz Haber Institute (FHI) of the Max Planck Society. Wei received one of the highly competitive Humboldt postdoctoral research fellowships and will pursue his two-year project under the guidance of the academic hosts Dr. Christopher Kley and Prof. Dr. Beatriz Roldan Cuenya.
- Humboldt Fellow joins HZB for battery researchDr. Wenxi Wang is working in the team of Prof. Yan Lu as Humboldt Foundation postdoctoral fellow. He studied at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, and completed his doctorate at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. He specialises in the precise design of organic electrodes for lithium-sulfur and zinc-ion batteries and the investigation of the interactions between ions and active materials.
- “We are currently in a decisive phase for photovoltaics”The HZB researcher Rutger Schlatmann has been elected as the new Chair of the platform ETIP-PV, which brings together representatives of science, industry and politics from all over Europe. We interviewed him about the current boom – and about why the photovoltaics ship has not yet sailed for the EU.
- Fast and flexible solar energy from the printerLighter, more flexible and adaptable – the innovation platform Solar TAP develops innovative solutions for photovoltaic applications. The aim is to make surfaces already used in agriculture, the building sector and transport additionally usable for the expansion of solar energy with printed solar cells.
- Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: Neutrons unveil sluggish charge transportSolid-state Lithium-Sulfur batteries offer the potential for much higher energy densities and increased safety, compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries. However, the performance of solid-state batteries is currently lacking, with slow charging and discharging being one of the primary causes. Now, a new study from HZB shows that sluggish lithium ion transport within a composite cathode is the cause of this slow charging and discharging.
- Green hydrogen: How photoelectrochemical water splitting may become competitiveSunlight can be used to produce green hydrogen directly from water in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. So far, systems based on this "direct approach" have not been energetically competitive. However, the balance changes as soon as some of the hydrogen in such PEC cells is used in-situ for a catalytic hydrogenation reaction, resulting in the co-production of chemicals used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The energy payback time of photoelectrochemical "green" hydrogen production can be reduced dramatically, the study shows.
- Perovskite solar cells from the slot die coater - a step towards industrial productionSolar cells made from metal halide perovskites achieve high efficiencies and their production from liquid inks requires only a small amount of energy. A team led by Prof. Dr. Eva Unger at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is investigating the production process. At the X-ray source BESSY II, the group has analyzed the optimal composition of precursor inks for the production of high-quality FAPbI3 perovskite thin films by slot-die coating. The solar cells produced with these inks were tested under real life conditions in the field for a year and scaled up to mini-module size.
- Superstore MXene: New proton hydration structure determinedMXenes are able to store large amounts of electrical energy like batteries and to charge and discharge rather quickly like a supercapacitor. They combine both talents and thus are a very interesting class of materials for energy storage. The material is structured like a kind of puff pastry, with the MXene layers separated by thin water films. A team at HZB has now investigated how protons migrate in the water films confined between the layers of the material and enable charge transport. Their results have been published in the renowned journal Nature Communications and may accelerate the optimisation of these kinds of energy storage materials.
- Electrocatalysis under the atomic force microscopeA further development in atomic force microscopy now makes it possible to simultaneously image the height profile of nanometre-fine structures as well as the electric current and the frictional force at solid-liquid interfaces. A team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Fritz Haber Institute (FHI) of the Max Planck Society has succeeded in analysing electrocatalytically active materials and gaining insights that will help optimise catalysts. The method is also potentially suitable for studying processes on battery electrodes, in photocatalysis or on active biomaterials.
- TU Berlin appoints Renske van der Veen as professorFor the past two years, Dr Renske van der Veen has led a research group in time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy and electron microscopy at HZB. Her research focuses on catalytic processes that enable, for example, the production of green hydrogen. She has now been appointed to a S-W2 professorship at the Institute of Optics and Atomic Physics (IOAP) at the Technische Universität Berlin.
- Electrocatalysis – Iron and Cobalt Oxyhydroxides examined at BESSY IIA team led by Dr. Prashanth W. Menezes (HZB/TU-Berlin) has now gained insights into the chemistry of one of the most active anode catalysts for green hydrogen production. They examined a series of Cobalt-Iron Oxyhydroxides at BESSY II and were able to determine the oxidation states of the active elements in different configurations as well as to unveil the geometrical structure of the active sites. Their results might contribute to the knowledge based design of new highly efficient and low cost catalytical active materials.
- World record back at HZB: Tandem solar cell achieves 32.5 percent efficiencyThe current world record of tandem solar cells consisting of a silicon bottom cell and a perovskite top cell is once again at HZB. The new tandem solar cell converts 32.5 % of the incident solar radiation into electrical energy. The certifying institute European Solar Test Installation (ESTI) in Italy measured the tandem cell and officially confirmed this value which is also included in the NREL chart of solar cell technologies, maintained by the National Renewable Energy Lab, USA.
- On the way to mass production: perovskite silicon tandem cellsIn order to transfer tandem solar cells from laboratory scale to production, HZB is cooperating with the solar module manufacturer Meyer Burger, which has great expertise in heterojunction technology (HJT) for silicon modules. Within the framework of this cooperation, mass production-ready silicon bottom cells based on heterojunction technology are to be combined with a top cell based on perovskite technology.
- New monochromator optics for tender X-raysUntil now, it has been extremely tedious to perform measurements with high sensitivity and high spatial resolution using X-ray light in the tender energy range of 1.5 - 5.0 keV. Yet this X-ray light is ideal for investigating energy materials such as batteries or catalysts, but also biological systems. A team from HZB has now solved this problem: The newly developed monochromator optics increase the photon flux in the tender energy range by a factor of 100 and thus enable highly precise measurements of nanostructured systems. The method was successfully tested for the first time on catalytically active nanoparticles and microchips.
- Tomography shows high potential of copper sulphide solid-state batteriesSolid-state batteries enable even higher energy densities than lithium-ion batteries with high safety. A team led by Prof. Philipp Adelhelm and Dr. Ingo Manke succeeded in observing a solid-state battery during charging and discharging and creating high-resolution 3D images. This showed that cracking can be effectively reduced through higher pressure.
- How photoelectrodes change in contact with waterPhotoelectrodes based on BiVO4 are considered top candidates for solar hydrogen production. But what exactly happens when they come into contact with water molecules? A study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society has now partially answered this crucial question: Excess electrons from dopants or defects aid the dissociation of water which in turn stabilizes so-called polarons at the surface. This is shown by data from experiments conducted at the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. These insights might foster a knowledge-based design of better photoanodes for green hydrogen production.
- Batteries without critical raw materialsThe market for rechargeable batteries is growing rapidly, but the necessary raw materials are limited. Sodium-ion batteries, for example, could offer an alternative. A joint research group from HZB and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has investigated new combinations of electrolyte solutions and electrode materials for this purpose.
- Tandem solar cells with perovskite: nanostructures help in many waysBy the end of 2021, teams at HZB had presented perovskite silicon tandem solar cells with an efficiency close to 30 percent. This value was a world record for eight months, a long time for this hotly contested field of research. In the renowned journal Nature Nanotechnology, the scientists describe how they achieved this record value with nanooptical structuring and reflective coatings.
- “The market itself will push this issue” - Interview on the role of synthetic kerosene for aviationIn the research consortium CARE-O-SENE, scientists are looking for more efficient ways to produce synthetic kerosene for use in aviation. We interviewed Tobias Sontheimer of HZB and Dirk Schär of the participating company Sasol about what has to be done, what obstacles there are, and how aviation can be decarbonised.
- 40-million-euro sustainable kerosene research project CARE-O-SENE receives fundingThe international research project CARE-O-SENE (Catalyst Research for Sustainable Kerosene) was granted 30 million euros in funding by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Additionally, the industrial consortium partners contribute 10 million euros. The aim of the project is to develop novel, next-generation Fischer-Tropsch catalysts and thus to optimise the production of sustainable kerosene – or Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) – on an industrial scale. Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is part of this collaboration.
- Prof. Rutger Schlatmann is Chair of the European Platform for PhotovoltaicsRutger Schlatmann is a solar expert from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and professor at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences. At the HZB he heads the Competence Centre for Photovoltaics, which successfully brings together solar research and industry. Now the expert has been elected as chairman of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV). It provides independent advice on energy policy issues and the expansion of photovoltaics in Europe.
- New at HZB: Tomography lab for AI-assisted battery researchAt HZB, a laboratory for automated X-ray tomography on solid-state batteries is being set up. The special feature: 3D data during charge/discharge processes (operando) can be evaluated quickly and in a more versatile way using artificial intelligence (AI) methods. The Federal Ministry of Research and Education is funding the "TomoFestBattLab" project with 1.86 million euros.
- Green hydrogen: faster progress with modern X-ray sourcesIn order to produce green hydrogen, water can be split up via electrocatalysis, powered by renewable sources such as sun or wind. A review article in the journal Angewandte Chemie Int. Ed. shows how modern X-ray sources such as BESSY II can advance the development of suitable electrocatalysts. In particular, X-ray absorption spectroscopy can be used to determine the active states of catalytically active materials for the oxygen evolution reaction. This is an important contribution to developing efficient catalysts from inexpensive and widely available elements.
- For strong non-university research in BerlinThe non-university research institutions in Berlin will work even more closely together in the future. Their association Berlin Research 50 (BR50), founded in 2020, has joined forces to form a registered non-profit association on 4. October 2022. Together, the research institutions want to further develop and strengthen Berlin as a science location.
- 40 years of research with synchrotron light in BerlinPress release _ Berlin, 14 September: For decades, science in Berlin has been an important driver of innovation and progress. Creative, talented people from all over the world come together here and develop new ideas from which we all benefit as a society. Many discoveries – from fundamental insights to marketable products – are made by doing research with synchrotron light. Researchers have had access to this intense light in Berlin for 40 years. It inspires many scientific disciplines and is an advantage for Germany.
- Young investigator research group on electrocatalysis at HZBDr. Michelle Browne establishes her own young investigator group at the HZB . Starting in August, the group is co-funded by the Helmholtz Association for the next five years. The electrochemist from Ireland concentrates on electrolytically active novel material systems and wants to develop next-generation electrocatalysts, for example hydrogen production. At HZB she will find the perfect environment to conduct her research.
- Environmental impact of perovskite-on-silicon solar PV modules lower than silicon aloneSolar photovoltaics is a reliable and sustainable way to generate energy. A study has evaluated for the first time the lifecycle environmental impact of industrially produced perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar modules, provided by Oxford PV. The conclusion: these innovative tandem solar modules are even more environmentally friendly than conventional silicon heterojunction modules over their lifetimes. The study has now been published by the peer reviewed journal Sustainable Energy & Fuels.
- Atomic displacements in High-Entropy Alloys examinedHigh-entropy alloys of 3d metals have intriguing properties that are interesting for applications in the energy sector. An international team at BESSY II has now investigated the local order on an atomic scale in a so-called high-entropy Cantor alloy of chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel. The results from combined spectroscopic studies and statistical simulations expand the understanding of this group of materials.
- HZB researcher Olga Kasian honored as young scientistThe Werner-von-Siemens-Ring Foundation has accepted Prof. Dr. Olga Kasian into its network in recognition of her outstanding scientific achievements. Olga Kasian heads a junior research group on electrocatalysis at HZB and is a professor at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). The foundation has been honoring young researchers in the technical and natural sciences since 1977 and offers them unique opportunities for interdisciplinary networking.
- Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore visits HZBOn Friday, 17 June, a delegation from Singapore visited HZB. Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, was accompanied by the Ambassador to Singapore in Germany, Laurence Bay, as well as representatives from research and industry.
- Water distribution in the fuel cell made visible in 4DTeams from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and University College London (UCL) have visualised the water distribution in a fuel cell in three dimensions and in real time for the first time by evaluating neutron data from the Berlin Experimental Reactor shut down in 2019. The analysis opens new possibilities for more efficient and thus more cost-effective fuel cells.
- International consortium to advance decarbonisation of the aviation sectorJOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – 24 May 2022: CARE-O-SENE research project will develop advanced catalysts for sustainable aviation fuels
The company Sasol and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) will lead a consortium to develop and optimise next-generation catalysts that will play a key role in decarbonising the aviation sector through sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
- Royal visit from Sweden at HZBKing Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden as well as a group of business leaders from large corporations such as Ericsson, Nordholt, Vattenfall, ABB, Schneider Electric and Swedish representatives from the public sector and academia visited the Adlershof Technology Park on 11 May 2022.
- BESSY Facility Speaker: “I am absolutely thrilled at how international we have become”For 75 years, synchrotron radiation sources have been indispensable for gaining knowledge. Antje Vollmer talks about international networking, a new record at the X-ray source BESSY II – and how she can tell from the research applications alone which social problems are particularly pressing at the moment.
- Knowledge transfer: BAIP consulting office becomes permanent at HZBThe BAIP consulting office for building-integrated photovoltaics has been launched as a knowledge transfer project in 2019, funded by the Helmholtz Association's Initiative and Networking Fund. In order to build a bridge between the world of construction and photovoltaics, the consulting office provides comprehensive knowledge for architects, planners, builder-owners, investors and urban developers. After an excellent evaluation, the BAIP consulting office will be permanently financed by HZB.
- From Lab to Fab: World Record Solar Cell Goes from Lab to IndustryQ CELLS and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin achieve a new world record efficiency for a 2-terminal tandem solar cell combining a mass-production ready silicon bottom cell based on Q.ANTUM technology and a top-cell based on perovskite technology. The efficiency is 28.7%.
- Predicting solar cell performance from terahertz and microwave spectroscopyMany semiconducting materials are possible candidates for solar cells. In recent years, perovskite semiconductors in particular have attracted attention, as they are both inexpensive and easy to process and enable high efficiencies. Now a study with 15 participating research institutions shows how terahertz (TRTS) and microwave spectroscopy (TRMC) can be used to reliably determine the mobility and lifetime of the charge carriers in new semiconducting materials. Using these measurement data it is possible to predict the potential efficiency of the solar cell in advance and to classify the losses in the finished cell.
- “Workhorse” of silicon photovoltaics combined with perovskite in tandem for the first timeSo-called PERC cells are used in mass production of silicon solar cells, they are considered the workhorses of photovoltaics, dominating the market. Now two teams from HZB and the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin (ISFH) have shown that such standard silicon cells are also suitable as a basis for tandem cells with perovskite top cells. Currently, the efficiency of the tandem cell is still below that of optimised PERC cells alone, but could be increased to up to 29.5% through targeted optimisation. The research was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics as part of a joint project.
- Dissertation Prize Adlershof 2021 goes to Amran Al-Ashouri
On February 17, 2022, the Adlershof Dissertation Prize was awarded for the 20th time. Dr. Amran Al-Ashouri (3rd from right) from the HZB young investigator research group "Perovskite tandem solar cells" received the prize endowed with 3,000 euros. The physicist is researching how new organic contact layers can be used to optimize highly efficient perovskite silicon tandem solar cells.
- Lithium-Sulfur batteries: First multimodal analysis in pouch cell formatLithium-sulphur (Li/S) batteries have significantly higher energy densities than conventional lithium-ion batteries, but age very quickly. Now, for the first time, a team at HZB has investigated Li/S batteries in the industry-relevant pouch cell format with different electrolytes during operation. Teams from TU Dresden and the Fraunhofer IWS were also involved in the study. With a specially developed measuring cell, impedance, temperature and pressure can be recorded at different times and combined with radiographic images. The evaluation shows how the electrolyte affects the formation of unwanted sulphur particles and polysulphides. The study has been published in the renowned journal Advanced Energy Materials.
- A sundial of a different kindTurning a scientific question into a product is the requirement that the winners of the HZB Technology Transfer Prize should fulfil. The team led by Tobias Henschel, Bernd Stannowski and Sebastian Neubert won more than just a prize.
- A Wiki for Perovskite Solar Cell ResearchAn international team of experts has collected data on metal halide perovskite solar cells from more than 15,000 publications and developed a database with visualisation options and analysis tools. The database is open source and provides an overview of the rapidly growing knowledge as well as the open questions in this exciting class of materials. The study was initiated by HZB scientist Dr. Eva Unger and implemented and coordinated by her postdoc Jesper Jacobsson.
- World record again at HZB: Almost 30 % efficiency for next-generation tandem solar cellsThree HZB teams led by Prof. Christiane Becker, Prof. Bernd Stannowski and Prof. Steve Albrecht have jointly managed to increase the efficiency of perovskite silicon tandem solar cells fabricated completely at HZB to a new record value of 29.80 %. The value has now been officially certified and is documented in the NREL-charts. This brings the 30 percent mark within reach.
- Germany on the road to net zero: a new Web Atlas shows the optionsWhich technical and nature-based options as well as political decisions can support Germany in being CO2-neutral? These questions are answered by the new web atlas of the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon. The new tool is aimed at politicians, experts and the public. The HZB has also contributed to the web atlas.
- Solar energy for a sport watch: HZB Technology Transfer Prize 2021 awardedAt first glance, it looks like an ordinary wristwatch. But its glass taps the energy of the sun. A research group at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has made this possible. Their transparent photovoltaics have now even made it into mass production, securing the team this year's HZB Technology Transfer Award.
- Royal Society of Chemistry praises HZB team’s paper on hybrid perovskite structuresFor 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 uses electricity-producing facade wall as real laboratoryIn 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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”.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Progress in solar technologies – from research to applicationEU group project presents its results: high efficiencies with less material
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- How to increase efficiencies of ultrathin CIGSe solar cellsNanoparticles at the back help harvesting the light.
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Wege zur CO2-freien EnergieversorgungSieben Helmholtz-Zentren arbeiten an Systemlösungen für die künftige Energieversorgung
- 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.
- Speeding up CIGS solar cell manufactureSpeeding up CIGS solar cell manufacture
- HZB and ANSTO have extended their Memorandum of UnderstandingAdvancing energy materials research together
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Spintronics for future information technologies: spin currents in topological insulators controlledAn international team headed by HZB researcher Jaime Sánchez-Barriga has shown how spin-polarised currents can be initiated in a controlled manner within samples of topological insulator material. In addition, they were able to manipulate the orientation of the spins of these currents. They thereby demonstrated that this class of materials is suitable for data processing based on spin. The work has been published in the renowned periodical Physical Review B and was selected as “Editor’s Suggestion” article.
- Energy Materials: Dr. Catherine Dubourdieu sets up the institute “Functional Oxides for Energy-Efficient Information Technology” at the HZBThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is boosting its energy materials research and setting up a new institute. Through the Helmholtz Recruitment Initiative, the HZB has gained renowned researcher Catherine Dubourdieu as Institute Director. In the newly established institute “Functional Oxides for Energy-Efficient Information Technology”, she is researching into thin films of metal oxides that make especially promising candidates for information technologies of the future. Dubourdieu formerly worked at the institute “Nanotechnologies de Lyon” of the CNRS and has been at the HZB since 11 April 2016.
- Energy storage materials under pressureSurprising discovery at BESSY II: the adsorption capacity of MOFs does not rise automatically with increasing pressure
- An alternative to platinum: iron-nitrogen compounds as catalysts in grapheneTeams at HZB and TU Darmstadt have produced a cost-effective catalyst material for fuel cells using a new preparation process which they analysed in detail. It consists of iron-nitrogen complexes embedded in tiny islands of graphene only a few nanometres in diameter. It is only the FeN4 centres that provide the excellent catalytic efficiency – approaching that of platinum. The results are interesting for solar fuels research as well and have been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
- The solar technologies race: thin-film photovoltaics are catching upZSW and HZB present current data – with new opportunities for Europe’s solar industry
- Optimum band gap for hybrid silicon/perovskite tandem solar cellTandem solar cells based on silicon and perovskites have raised high hopes for future high efficiency solar modules. A team led by perovskite solar cell pioneer Henry Snaith at the University of Oxford has now shown, with contributions by Bernd Rech and Lars Korte of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, that an ultimate efficiency of 30% should be attainable with such tandem cells. They discovered a structurally stable perovskite composition with its band gap tuned to an optimum value of 1.75 eV. The results have been published in "Science".
- MacQueen is researching into optical energy converters for generating fuels: Funding through the Helmholtz Postdoc ProgrammeDr. Rowan W. MacQueen will come in spring 2016 to the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and will receive funding for his research project through the Helmholtz Postdoc Programme. He will be studying the optoelectronic properties at the boundaries of thin organic layers to oxides. These are relevant in developing optical energy converters for generating fuels. The “Helmholtz Postdoc Programme” will fund the Australian researcher with 100,000 Euro annually for a period of up to three years.
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin expands its solar fuel research: Kathrin Aziz-Lange starts with her new Helmholtz Young Investigator GroupDr. Kathrin Maria Aziz-Lange has won approval to set up a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group (YIG) addressing the topic of solar fuels at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). She will receive 250,000 Euros in annual support for a period of five years, with half from the Initiative and Networking Fund of the Helmholtz Association and half financed by HZB. The YIG will investigate materials that enable water splitting using sunlight and thereby store solar energy chemically in form of hydrogen.
- European Workshop on Nanophotonics for Solar EnergyOn 25 and 26 November 2015, about 40 researchers from seven European countries visited Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin to attend the “European Workshop on Nanophotonics for Solar Energy”.
- ZEISS and the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin establish partnershipNanotechnology in support of leading research on renewable energy
- Uppsala Berlin Joint Laboratory “Our willingness to cooperate is our strength”Great political interest for the new Uppsala Berlin Joint Laboratory (UBjL): On the 4th of November, Sweden’s ambassador in Germany, Dr. Lars Danielsson, came personally to the HZB where the UBjL is established for the inauguration of the joint project.
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin auf der Jahrestagung des Forschungsverbunds Erneuerbare Energie (FVEE)Vom 3. Bis 4. November 2015 findet die Jahrestagung des Forschungsverbunds Erneuerbare Energie (FVEE) im Umweltforum Berlin in Berlin statt. Schwerpunktthema ist in diesem Jahr die Wärmewende. Das Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin ist mit einem Infostand und Vorträgen präsent.
- Monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell achieves record efficiencyTeams from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, have been the first to successfully combine a silicon heterojunction solar cell with a perovskite solar cell monolithically into a tandem device. The hybrid tandem cell showed an efficiency of 18 per cent. That is the highest currently reported value for this type of device architecture. There are even prospects for the efficiency to reach as much as 30 per cent.
- Simone Raoux becomes a Professor at Humboldt-Universität zu BerlinProf. Dr. Simone Raoux has accepted the call to the W3-S professorship “Nanospectroscopy for Design and Optimisation of Energy-Related Materials” in the Department of Physics at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The professorship is associated with heading the institute of the same name at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie. Prof. Raoux accepted the call in September 2015.
- Quantsol Sommerschule 2015 – erfolgreich im 8. JahrDie International Summer School on Photovoltaics and New Concepts of Quantum Solar Energy Conversion (Quantsol) fand vom 6. bis 13. September 2015 zum achten Mal in Folge im österreichischen Hirschegg/Kleinwalsertal statt. Über 50 angehende Solarforscherinnen und -forschern aus 19 Ländern besuchten die Veranstaltung.
- poster prize for Laura Elisa Valle Rios student at the European Crystallographic Meeting (ECM29)The poster contribution of Laura Elisa Valle Rios (HZB-Department Crystallography) was awarded the CrystEngComm poster price of the Royal Society of Chemistry at the 29th European Crystallographic Meeting (ECM29) in Rovinj (Croatia). Laura Elisa, a PhD student in the Marie-Curie Initial Training network KESTCELLS and the HZB Graduate School "Materials for Solar Energy Conversion" (MatSEC).
- Hydrogen from sunlight: new efficiency record for artificial photosynthesisAn international team has now succeeded in considerably increasing the efficiency for direct solar water splitting. They are using a tandem solar cell whose surfaces have been selectively modified. The new record value is 14 % and thus considerably above the previous record of 12.4 % held by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the USA, broken now for the first time in 17 years. Researchers from the Institute for Solar Fuels at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, TU Ilmenau, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) participated in the collaboration. The results have been published in Nature Communications.
- Charge transport in hybrid silicon solar cellsAn HZB team headed by Prof. Silke Christiansen has made a surprising discovery about hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells. Contrary to expectations, a diode composed of the conductive organic PEDOT:PSS and an n-type silicon absorber material behaves more like a pn junction between two semiconductors than like a metal-semiconductor contact (Schottky diode). Their results have now been published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports and could point the way toward improvements in hybrid solar cells.
- Transparent, electrically conductive network of encapsulated silver nanowires – a novel electrode for optoelectronicsA team headed by Prof. Silke Christiansen has developed a transparent electrode with high electrical conductivity for solar cells and other optoelectronic components – that uses minimal amounts of material. It consists of a random network of silver nanowires that is coated with aluminium-doped zinc oxide. The novel electrode requires about 70 times less silver than conventional silver grid electrodes, but possesses comparable electrical conductivity.
- Freigeist Fellowship for Tristan PetitFor his project on nanodiamond materials and nanocarbon, Dr. Tristan Petit has been awarded a Freigeist Fellowship from the VolkswagenStiftung. The grant covers a five-year period and will enable him to establish his own research team. The VolkswagenStiftung is funding with these prestigious fellowships outstanding postdocs planning original research that transcends the bounds of their own field.
- HZB presents research on thermoelectricsThe annual "International Conference on Thermoelectrics (ICT)” and the "European Conference on Thermoelectrics (ECT)” took place together from 29 June to 02 July 2015 in Dresden, Germany. For the first time, HZB participated in this international multidisciplinary meeting. The HZB Department "Methods for Characterization of Transport Phenomena in Energy Materials" headed by Dr. Klaus Habicht presented their research in two talks and one poster.
- Green solutions with diamond materials:Horizon 2020 invests 3.9 million Euro in research project to convert CO2 into fuels using sunlight and diamond materials
- Forschungskolloquium der Graduiertenschule MatSECAm 24. Juni trafen sich die Mitglieder der Graduiertenschule MatSEC zum halbjährlichen Forschungskolloquium auf dem Lise-Meitner-Campus. MatSEC wurde im Frühjahr 2013 unter dem Dach der Dahlem Research School der Freien Universität Berlin gegründet. Die Graduiertenschule bietet ein strukturiertes dreijähriges Promotionsprogramm und beschäftigt sich mit Kesterit-Verbindungshalbleiter.
- Towards graphene biosensorsFor the first time, a team of scientists has succeeded in precisely measuring and controlling the thickness of an organic compound that has been bound to a graphene layer. This might enable graphene to be used as a sensitive detector for biological molecules in the future.
- Eine lange Nacht geballtes Wissen tankenFührungen an der Neutronenquelle, Experimente zur Energie für Groß und Klein, Licht-Show und vieles mehr
- Realistic computer model of battery electrodesA research team has developed a new approach for more realistic computer models of battery electrodes. They combined images from synchrotron tomography that capture three-dimensional structure at micron resolution with those from an electron microscope that can even resolve nanometre-scale features over a small section. They were able to transfer these nano-features to areas beyond the section using a mathematical model. Properties and processes within battery electrodes can now be simulated highly realistically using this method.
- Poster award for MatSEC PhD student at the MRS Spring MeetingThe poster contribution of Kai Neldner (HZB-Department Crystallography) was awarded a poster price of the Symposium "Thin-Film Compound Semiconductors" at the MRS Spring Meeting in San Francisco. Kai Neldner, a PhD student in the HZB Graduate School "Materials for Solar Energy Conversion" (MatSEC) has presented results on structural properties of Kesterites (Cu2ZnSnS4 - CZTS) in relation to its stoichiometry deviations.
- Joint Lab BeJEL receives 1.4 million EUR grantThe Berlin Joint EPR Laboratory (BeJEL) operated by HZB and Freie Universität Berlin has pulled in six of 27 subprojects within a DFG priority program to address“New Frontiers in Sensitivity for EPR Spectroscopy – from Biological Cells to Nano Materials”.
- Poster Award for HZB-Postdoc at EMRS Spring MeetingDuring the spring meeting 2015 of the European Materials Research Society the Poster contribution of Dr. Ah Reum Jeong (HZB-Institute for Heterogeneous Material Systems) was selected for an award. The young scientist has presented results on electronic and structural properties in relation to chemical composition of molybdenum oxide layers, which are widely applied in photovoltaic as well as optoelectronic devices.
- Artificial photosynthesis: New, stable photocathode with great potentialA team at the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels has developed a new composite photocathode for generating hydrogen with high quantum efficiency using sunlight. This enables solar energy to be stored chemically.The photocathode consists of a thin film of chalcopyrite produced by HZB/PVcomB coated with a newly developed thin film of photoresistant titanium dioxide containing platinum nanoparticles. This layer does not only protect the chalcopyrite thin film from corrosion, it additionally acts as a catalyst to speed-up the formation of hydrogen as well as being a novel photodiode itself that even shows photoelectric current density and voltage comparable to those of a chalcopyrite-based thin film solar cell.
- Success rate 100 percent: HZB teams get third party funding for Solar Fuel projectsConverting solar energy and storing it in form of solar fuels, is one of the great scientific and technological challenges today to enable the transition into a more sustainable future powered by renewable energies. Scientists at the HZB institute for Solar Fuels are exploring new semiconductor materials in order to develop compact, robust and economic solutions for “artificial photosynthesis”. They have submitted four research projects in collaboration with partners from universities for funding by the German Research Association (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG) in the Priority Programme „Fuels Produced Regeneratively Through Light-Driven Water Splitting” (SPP 1613). All four projects have now been approved for funding.
- Inkjet printing process for Kesterite solar cellsA research team at HZB has developed an inkjet printing technology to produce kesterite thin film absorbers (CZTSSe). Based on the inkjet-printed absorbers, solar cells with total area conversion efficiency of up to 6.4 % have been achieved. Although this is lower than the efficiency records for this material class, the inkjet printing minimizes waste and has huge advantages for industrial production.
- New opportunities for CIGS solar cellsDynamic CIGS solar cell technology workshop gives rise to optimism: experts predict higher efficiencies and lean production technologies
- EU funding strengthens solar cell research at HZBMarcus Bär and his team are participating in two international projects being funded under the EU Horizon 2020 research programme. Both research projects are concerned with development and optimisation of high-efficiency thin-film solar cells based on chalcopyrites (“Sharc 25") and kesterites (“SWInG”). These two projects will together bring in about 900,000 EUR of additional research funding for solar cell research.
- Femto-snapshots of reaction kineticsBonding behaviour of iron pentacarbonyl experimentally decoded. Application as a catalyst for storing solar energy.
- New Opportunities for students in energy research:HZB starts two Graduate Schools with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Universität Potsdam
Friday, 27 March 2015, the start of two new graduate schools on solar energy research was celebrated at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). Hybrid4Energy, the Graduate School of Hybrid Materials for Efficient Energy Generation and Information Technologies, is a joint venture of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HUB) and HZB. The Graduate School HyPerCell focuses on a new type of thin film solar cells based on hybrid perovskite absorber materials and is organised by Universität Potsdam (UP) and HZB.
- Call for Applications open: International Summer University on Energy, Falera/SwitzerlandExcellent Master, Diploma, and PhD Students from all over the world from different disciplines are invited to participate in the international summer university ISUenergy2015. The ISUenergy2015 will take place from Aug. 23rd - Sept. 4th 2015 in Falera/Switzerland.
- Eine neue Schülerlabor-AG am Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin experimentiert zu Energiefragen im AlltagWie viel Strom verbraucht ein Smartphone? Wo kommt unser Strom her? Und ist er eigentlich teuer? Das Schülerlabor des Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin bietet am Standort Wannsee für Kinder der 5. bis 7. Klassen eine neue Arbeitsgruppe an. Immer donnerstags treffen sich zehn Mädchen und Jungen, um zu experimentieren und diesen Fragen auf den Grund zu gehen.
- Workshop on “Microstructure Characterization and Modeling for Solar Cells”The winter workshop was held in a beautiful location at Spitzingsee (Bayern) from 22. to 26. february 2015 and organised by Helmholtz Virtual Institute "Microstructure Control for Thin-Film Solar Cells". The next winter workshop will be planned for 2017.
- Graduiertenschule MatSEC diskutiert über Kesterite für SolarzellenAm 2. Februar 2015 trafen sich die Mitglieder der Graduiertenschule MatSEC auf dem Lise-Meitner-Campus des HZB zum wissenschaftlichen Austausch. In der Graduiertenschule MatSEC forschen die Promovierenden an neuartigen Materialsystemen für die solare Energieumwandlung, den Kesteriten. Das Forschungskolloquium findet halbjährlich statt und ist fester Bestandteil des Curriculums der Graduiertenschule.
- Universität Bielefeld und HZB kooperieren zu Nanoschichten und komplexen MaterialienIm Februar 2015 haben Uni-Rektor Professor Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer, Uni-Kanzler Dr. Stephan Becker und die Geschäftsführer des HZB, Professorin Dr.-Ing. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla und Thomas Frederking eine Vereinbarung über die Zusammenarbeit unterschrieben. Darin heißt es: „Die Kooperation soll zur Steigerung der wissenschaftlichen Exzellenz der Partner und zur Entwicklung regionaler Kompetenznetzwerke in Forschung, Lehre und Ausbildung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses beitragen.“
- Learning by eye: silicon micro-funnels increase the efficiency of solar cellsA biological structure in mammalian eyes has inspired a team headed by Silke Christiansen to design an inorganic counterpart for use in solar cells. With the help of conventional semiconductor processes, they etched micron-sized vertical funnels shoulder-to-shoulder in a silicon substrate. Using mathematical models and experiments, they tested how these kind of funnel arrays collect incident light and conduct it to the active layer of a silicon solar cell. Their result: this arrangement of funnels increases photo absorption by about 65% in a thin-film solar cell fitted with such an array and is reflected in considerably increased solar cell efficiency, among other improved parameters.
- Distinguished Lectures at HZB: Prof. Jürgen Janek will give talk about the Materials Research for "Next Generation" BatteriesThe search for new and the development of improved electrochemical energy storage systems stimulates world-wide research efforts in both academia and industry. While impressive improvements and cost reductions are still to be expected for lithium ionbatteries (LIB) and are part of enormous industrial efforts, more fundamental research aims for the creation and understanding of completely new cell types.
- BerOSE - Joint Lab für Modellierung von Nanooptischen StrukturenHZB gründet mit FU Berlin und Zuse Institut Berlin das „Berlin Joint Lab for Optical Simulations for Energy Research (BerOSE)“
- BESSY II – From Pico to Femto – time resolved studies at BESSY II180 scientists attended the workshop on time resolved studies
- Heute schon geforscht? Bernd Rech im Podcast von Welt der PhysikIm wöchentlichen Podcast der Internetplattform "Welt der Physik" spricht Bernd Rech, Leiter des HZB-Instituts für Silizium-Photovoltaik und Sprecher des Helmholtz-Forschungsprogramms Erneuerbare Energien, in der Folge 177 über aktuelle Trends zum Thema Solarzellen. Er beschreibt die Vor- und Nachteile von anorganischen und organischen Solarmaterialien. Und er stellt eine der neuesten Entwicklungen aus seinem Institut vor, eine Kombination aus zwei Siliziumschichten und einem organischen Material.
- The path to artificial photosynthesisHZB researchers describe efficient manganese catalyst capable of converting light to chemical energy
- HZB baut Forschung an elektrochemischen Energiespeichern aus
Arbeitsgruppen am HZB untersuchen neuartige Batteriesysteme und elektrochemische Energiespeicher im Helmholtz-Forschungsprogramm „Speicher und vernetzte Infrastrukturen“
- Maximum efficiency, minimum materials and complexitySilicon-based thin-film solar cell with a supplementary organic layer can utilise infrared light as well
- Organic layer adds light particlesSolar cells can only use photons with energies above a specific threshold to generate electricity. A German-Australian research collaboration has now combined solar cells with an organic material which can “add up” low-energy photons to yield higher-energy light, which can then be harvested by the solar cell. In an invited review paper published in the prestigious journal Energy & Environmental Science the scientists give an overview on the fascinating phenomenon of photonic upconversion and report new results: The organic layers show less photo-degradation than suspected and may also be used for other optoelectronics applications.
- Jahrestagung des ForschungsVerbund Erneuerbare EnergienUnter dem Motto „Forschung für die Energiewende – Phasenübergänge aktiv gestalten“ fand am 7. und 8. November die Jahrestagung des ForschungsVerbund Erneuerbare Energien (FVEE) im Umweltforum Berlin statt. Vertreter aus Wissenschaft und Politik referierten über den proaktiven Umgang mit den technologischen, ökonomischen sowie politisch-gesellschaftlichen Herausforderungen der Energiewende.
- New in situ cell for investigating solid- and liquid-state samples and their interfaces under electrical voltageA team headed by Dr. Kathrin Aziz-Lange has developed a new in-situ cell for X-ray spectroscopy of fluid samples and their interfaces to solid bodies. What is special is the cell contains electrodes that can expose the sample to voltage during or between measurements. The resulting changes triggered in the electrical structure of the sample can be observed with the help of X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy in real time.
- Deutsch-Türkische Universität am HZB zu GastVizerektor und Dekan der Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät besuchte mehrere Institute des HZB
- HZB Freigeist Fellow Dr. Annika BandeAs of early October, the HZB is home to one of the Volkswagen Foundation's Freigeist Fellows: Dr. Annika Bande recently joined Prof. Dr. Emad Aziz' institute "Methods for Material Development". There she will build up her own junior research group with initially three PhD students.
- Tage der Forschung in AdlershofAm 25. und 26. September fanden in Adlershof die jährlichen Tage der Forschung statt. Das HZB bot rund 90 Schülerinnen und Schülern in drei unterschiedlichen Programmpunkten einen Einblick in die Welt der Forschung.
- German Society for Materials Science awards publication with HZB scientist as co-author
At its annual conference on September 22, 2014, the German Society for Materials Science (DGM), presented the Werner Köster Award for best publication. The work, whose authors include HZB scientist Dr. Michael Tovar and which has been published in the International Journal of Materials Research, examines the catalytic effect of vanadium pentoxide in propene synthesis from propane using spectroscopic, microscopic, and radiographic methods.
- Bernd Rech boardmember of the "work group of energy"Prof. Bernd Rech will speak on recent findings in thin film silicon photovoltaik research at the autumn meeting of the energy work group of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. Rech had been elected into the board of the work group earlier this year.
- Leading scientists on topological insulators met in BerlinFrom July 7-10, 150 researchers met in Berlin to discuss recent findings in the field of topological insulators.
- GDCh zeichnet Sebastian Seiffert ausProf. Dr. Sebastian Seiffert erhält eine weitere Auszeichnung für seine Forschungsarbeit. Die Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh) hat mitgeteilt, dass Seiffert den Preis für Nachwuchswissenschaftler auf dem Gebiet der Makromolekularen Chemie erhalten wird. Der Preis wird ihm im Rahmen der Konferenz "Polymers and Energy" überreicht, die vom 14. bis 16. September in Jena stattfindet.
- Australian top-chemist gains Helmholtz International Fellowship to visit HZB and HZDRProf. Dr. Leone Spiccia from the Monash University Melbourne was awarded the Helmholtz International Fellowship. In addition to the prize money of €20,000 each, he is invited to conduct research at HZB in Berlin and HZDR in Dresden. At HZB he is expected in spring 2015 in the group of Prof. Dr. Emad Aziz. The award honours excellent research and supports establishing new cooperation structures with international research institutions.
- Collecting light with artificial moth eyesScientists at EMPA in Zürich and University of Basel have developed a photoelectrochemical cell, recreating a moth’s eye to drastically increase its light collecting efficiency. The cell is made of cheap raw materials – iron and tungsten oxide. Analyses at BESSY II have revealed which chemical processes are useful to facilitate the absorption of light.
- Matthias May receives the Poster Prize at the Wilhelm und Else-Heraeus SeminarMatthias May, PhD student at the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels, was awarded a Poster Prize at the 562nd WE Heraeus Seminar “From Sunlight to Fuels” for his scientific work. From 11 to 16 May 2014, the participants of the WE Heraeus seminar concentrated intensively on the topic of “converting sunlight to hydrogen” and discussed new materials and processes for photovoltaic and (photo)catalytic applications.
Matthias May impressively demonstrated on his poster how water acts on differently prepared surfaces of III-V compound semiconductors and what interactions occur. It is highly important to study this effect in detail because the initial reaction with water is critical in the development of suitable materials and processes for solar fuels. May prepared two different surfaces of gallium and indium phosphide and then analyzed and compared the influence of water using photoelectron spectroscopy and in-situ reflection anisotropy spectroscopy. - Das ganze Spektrum der Elektrokatalyse an einem TagAm 4. April 2014 lud das Helmholtz-Institut Erlangen-Nürnberg (HI ERN) zu seiner ersten wissenschaftlichen Veranstaltung ein. Beim internationalen Symposium „Recent Achievements and Future Trends in Electrocatalysis“ präsentierten zehn führende Wissenschaftler auf dem Gebiet der “Elektrokatalyse” von hochrangigen nationalen und internationalen Forschungsstätten den rund 90 Teilnehmern ihre Forschungsarbeiten.
- Prof. Dr. Silke Christiansen receives a distinguished visiting professorship at South Korean Chonbuk National UniversityThe president of Chonbuk National University, Suh Geo-Suk, has appointed Prof. Dr. Silke Christiansen “Distinguished visiting Professor” for three years in recognition of her extraordinary services in the field of renewable energies. Christiansen received the certificate of appointment at a ceremony in May together with two other outstanding foreign scientists. As a “Distinguished visiting Professor” at the Faculty of Semiconductor Physics and Chemistry, Silke Christiansen will be promoting the scientific contact between Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), Freie Universität Berlin (FU) and the Korean university.
- 3.800 Menschen besuchten das HZB zur Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften„Schau rein, schlau raus“ – das Motto der diesjährigen Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften dürfte sich für die Besucher am Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin mehr als erfüllt haben. 2.200 Mal öffneten sich am Samstag, dem 10. Mai die Türen des Elektronenspeicherrings BESSY II, der in Adlershof zur Entdeckungsreise einlud. Am benachbarten Institut für Silizium-Photovoltaik des Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin informierten sich etwa 1.600 Menschen über die Energie der Zukunft, hörten Vorträge und besichtigten die Labore der Forscherinnen und Forscher.
- Tailored disorder for optical applicationsHZB’s Silke Christiansen coordinates new DFG priority program
- Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften - 10. Mai, 17 bis 0 Uhr: Besichtigen Sie den Elektronenspeicherring BESSY II und die Labore der SolarenergieDer Countdown läuft. Nur noch wenige Tage sind es, bis wir die Türen für Sie zur Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften öffnen. Hinter den Kulissen ist schon viel los, bis es am Samstag, dem 10. Mai ab 17 Uhr richtig ernst wird: unsere Forscherinnen und Forscher sind gerade dabei, spannende Mitmach-Experimente und informative Stationen vorzubereiten. Wir freuen uns, wenn Sie zur „klügsten Nacht des Jahres“ vorbeikommen und nicht nur neues Wissen, sondern auch einige „Aha-Erlebnisse“ mitnehmen.
- New tool for Joint Lab to investigate the chemistry of natureThe Aziz’ team at the Joint Laboratory between Freie Universität Berlin and HZB has built a laser-based tabletop setup which generates ultrashort XUV light pulses and achieves their monochromatization by implementing special reflection zone plates, developed and produced by the team of Alexei Erko.
- Das HZB auf der Hannover MesseDie Hannover Messe, die weltweit größte Industriemesse, wurde heute eröffnet. Das HZB ist als Aussteller auf dem Themenstand »Energy Research« in der Halle 2 Stand C.62 vertreten. Die Themenschwerpunkte in der Halle "Research & Technology" sind u.a. Energieeffizienz, Erneuerbare Energien, Energiespeicherung, Energieverteilung/Smart Grids, Ressourcenmanagement und Elektromobilität.
- Even thinner solar cells through use of nanoparticlesNanostructures could enable more light to be directed into the active layer of solar cells, increasing their efficiency. Prof. Martina Schmid (HZB und Freie Univ. Berlin) has now measured how irregularly distributed silver particles influence the absorption of light. She demonstrated that nanoparticles interact with one another via their electromagnetic near-fields, so that local “hot spots” arise where light is concentrated especially strongly.
- New Thin Film Photovoltaic World Record announced on Conference in BerlinThe 5th International Workshop on CIGS Solar Cell Technology organized bei Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) started with a bang. Katsumi Kushiya by the Japanese company Solar Frontier presented the approximately 100 participants a new world record conversion efficiency for thin-film-photovoltaic technologies. Their new thin-film CIGS cells can convert 20.9 percent of the incident sunlight into electrical energy beating the previous Solar Frontier- record of 19.7 percent conversion efficiency. The previous best value for all thin-film photovoltaic technologies was 20.8 percent.
- PECDEMO: sunlight to hydrogenWithin just three years, research partners of the EU project PECDEMO are planning on developing a practical system capable of converting over eight percent of solar energy into hydrogen. This could prove a real breakthrough in terms of practical applicability. Roel van de Krol, head of the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels, coordinates this global research project.
- Controlling electron spins by lightResearchers of HZB manipulate the electron spin at the surface of topological insulators systematically by light
- The International Summer School Quantsol will inform on basics in photovoltaics and solar energy conversionRegistration now open! For the seventh time already young solar energy researchers are invited to attend the International Summer School on Photovoltaics and New Concepts of Quantum Solar Energy Conversion (Quantsol). The school will be held from September 7th to 14th, 2014 in Hirschegg, Kleinwalsertal, Austria. The school is organized by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin together with the Technical University of Ilmenau. Application can be submitted through the school’s homepage until June 1st, 2014.
- Autumn School on Microstructural Characterization and Modelling of Thin Film Solar CellsFrom November 2 ‐ 7, 2014, an Autumn school is organised as part of the Helmholtz Virtual Institute Microstructure Control for Thin‐Film Solar Cells
- Why do Li-ion batteries age?Even the best Li-ion batteries degrade with time. A reason for this was now identified by researchers at HZB. They could directly observe at BESSY II and DORIS atomic rearrangements occurring in the cathode material of Li-ion batteries during charge and discharge processes. Such repetitive changes in atomic arrangements can lead to the breakdown of the crystal structure of a material and are the major causes of “ageing” of Li-ion batteries during cycling.
- International Summer University on Renewable Energies: Registration now openOn behalf of the ISUenergy Scientific & Organising Committee it is a great pleasure to announce the 6th International Summer University on Renewable Energies and to invite your applications for this year's ISUenergy .The ISUenergy2014 will take place from Aug. 24th - Sept. 5th in Falera.
- A new cluster tool for EMILThe Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) and Altatech, a subsidiary of Soitec, have launched a collaborative partnership to research and develop materials for the next generation of high-efficiency solar cells, including new classes of materials and innovative device structures for photovoltaic and photocatalysis applications.
- Light-induced degradation in amorphous silicon thin film solar cellsResearchers at the Helmholtz Center Berlin (HZB) have taken a leap forward towards a deeper understanding of an undesired effect in thin film solar cells based on amorphous silicon – one that has puzzled the scientific community for the last 40 years. The researchers were able to demonstrate that tiny voids within the silicon network are partly responsible for reducing solar cell efficiency by some 10 to 15 percent as soon as you start using them. Their work has now been published in Physical Review Letters (DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.066403).
- From a carpet of nanorods to a thin film solar cell absorber within a few secondsResearch teams at the HZB and at the University of Limerick, Ireland, have discovered a novel solid state reaction which lets kesterite grains grow within a few seconds and at relatively low temperatures. For this reaction they exploit a transition from a metastable wurtzite compound in the form of nanorods to the more stable kesterite compound. At the EDDI Beamline at BESSY II, the scientists could observe this process in real-time when heating the sample: in a few seconds Kesterite grains formed. The size of the grains was found to depend on the heating rate. With fast heating they succeeded in producing a Kesterite thin film with near micrometer-sized crystal grains, which could be used in thin film solar cells. These findings have now been published in the journal “Nature Communications”.
- Understanding a new type of solar cellPerovskite based solar cells are a hot topic in energy research and Science Magazine has put it on the list of Breakthroughs in 2013. In only a few years their efficiency has increased from 3 % to more than 16 %. However, a detailed explanation of the mechanisms of operation within this photovoltaic system is still lacking. Scientists from Ecole polytechnique fédérale in Lausanne (EPFL) and of HZB-Institute for Solar Fuels have now uncovered the mechanism by which these novel light-absorbing semiconductors transfer electrons along their surface. They examined perovskite based solar cells with different architectures with time resolved spectroscopy techniques. Their results, which are now published online in Nature photonics, open the way to the design of photovoltaic converters with improved efficiency.
- HZB team develops chalcopyrite solar cells without cadmium-based buffer layer
A single layer takes on the job of what used to be two layers, doing away with the wet chemical process. Despite a much simplified production method, efficiencies of greater than 18 percent are well within reach. - HERCULES has started: European collaboration will pave the way to the next generation of c-Si based solar cell devices with efficiencies of 25 %Sixteen leading European research institutes, universities and partners from industry have joined forces in order to collaborate closely on the development of next generation of crystalline silicon based solar cells and modules. Together they proposed a concept of “High Efficiency Rear Contact solar cells and Ultra powerful moduLES” with the acronym HERCULES and received a 7 million Euro grant from the European Commission within the 7th Research Framework Programme. The project has started the 1st of November 2013 and will finish end 2016.
- Producing high performance solar cells at lower costDr. Sebastian Brückner graduates “summa cum laude” on solar cells made from III-V semiconductors
- Anbau an BESSY II im Rekordtempo: EMIL hat jetzt ein Dach über dem KopfDas Forschungsgebäude für das neue Labor EMIL an BESSY II nimmt Form an: Am Mittwoch, 4. Dezember 2013, ab 13 Uhr feiert das „Energy Materials In-Situ Laboratory Berlin“ Richtfest. Die Zeremonie findet auf dem Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen Campus des Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Albert-Einsteinstraße 15, 12489 Berlin, statt. Vertreter der Medien sind herzlich eingeladen.
- Honorary doctorate for Prof. Hans-Werner SchockTallinn University of Technology (TTU) has named Prof. Hans-Werner Schock recipient of an honorary doctorate in recognition of Schock’s achievements during TTU’s integration into the Western research community after the 1990 fall of the Iron Curtain.
- New Materials for Photovoltaics: HZB starting its first own Graduate SchoolWell-structured Ph.D. program
- Neutron Summer School for the study of hydrogen storage materialsAn international group of students and scientists recently completed Margarita Russina’s second ever Neutron Summer School program. Just like last year, the Summer School took place in mid-September on the HZB’s Wannsee campus, offering participants a week filled with a broad spectrum of classes and activities, all on the topic of neutron scattering methods in the study of hydrogen storage materials.
- Major leap towards graphene for solar cellsSurprising result: Graphen retains its properties even when coated with silicon
- Sommeruniversität für Erneuerbare Energien52 junge Leute aus aller Welt haben sich vom 25. August bis 6. September mit den vielseitigen Aspekten Erneuerbarer Energien beschäftigt
- World Record Solar Cell with 44.7% EfficiencyWith a solar cell efficiency of 44.7%, scientists around Dr. Frank Dimroth at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE achieved a new world record for the conversion of sunlight into electricity. They used a new solar cell structure with four solar subcells, a new procedure called wafer bonding and optical components which concentrate the sunlight (Concentrated Photovoltaics CPV). Part of the cell structure was developed at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin in the research group of Prof. Thomas Hannappel, (now with Technical University Ilmenau). They developed methods to prepare critical interfaces and to avoid undesirable defects. SOITEC and CEA-Leti have as well contributed to this world record.
- Interview with MIT-Expert Harry TullerWhen can we hope to store solar energy in form of hydrogen with an efficient and cheap solution? What is motivating young people to get involved into science these days? And how does is come that many scientists really love to work, even after the official retirement age? Prof. Dr. Harry Tuller ist answering these questions in an interview, which you can listen here. And if you prefer to read his answers, you could download the transcript.
- Kooperationsvertrag für Helmholtz-Institut Erlangen-Nürnberg unterzeichnetDie Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), das Forschungszentrum Jülich und das Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) gründen gemeinsam das Helmholtz-Institut Erlangen-Nürnberg für Erneuerbare Energien (HI ERN). In Anwesenheit von Bundesforschungsministerin Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka ist heute in Nürnberg der Kooperationsvertrag zwischen den drei Partnern unterzeichnet worden. Die Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft fördert das neue Institut mit jährlich 5,5 Millionen Euro.
- Groundbreaking for EMILOn Monday, August 5, 2013, a festive groundbreaking ceremony was the official signal for the start of construction of the new BESSY II research lab EMIL. The new cutting-edge solar energy and catalysis research preparation and analysis lab "Energy Materials In-Situ Laboratory Berlin" will be a direct BESSY II add-on. The joint project by the HZB and the Max Planck Society provides a one-of-a-kind infrastructure for the interdisciplinary and industry compatible development of new materials and technologies to facilitate the energy transition. This includes new material systems for solar modules as well as storage solutions for which new kinds of catalysts are warranted.
- Die Bauarbeiten beginnen: BESSY II erhält Anbau für neuen LaborkomplexMit einem feierlichen Spatenstich beginnen am Montag, dem 5. August 2013 um 16:00 die Bauarbeiten für das neue Forschungslabor EMIL an BESSY II: Das „Energy Materials In-Situ Laboratory Berlin“, kurz EMIL, wird als hochmodernes Präparations- und Analyselabor für die Solarenergie- und Katalyseforschung aufgebaut. Das Gemeinschaftsprojekt vom HZB und der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft soll eine einzigartige Infrastruktur bieten, um interdisziplinär und industriekompatibel neue Materialien und Technologien zu entwickeln, die die Energiewende ermöglichen. Dazu zählen neue Materialsysteme für Solarmodule und Speicherlösungen, für die neuartige Katalysatoren entwickelt werden müssen.
- The best of two worlds: Solar hydrogen production breakthroughUsing a simple solar cell and a photo anode made of a metal oxide, HZB and TU Delft scientists have successfully stored nearly five percent of solar energy chemically in the form of hydrogen. This is a major feat as the design of the solar cell is much simpler than that of the high-efficiency triple-junction cells based on amorphous silicon or expensive III-V semiconductors that are traditionally used for this purpose. The photo anode, which is made from the metal oxide bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) to which a small amount of tungsten atoms was added, was sprayed onto a piece of conducting glass and coated with an inexpensive cobalt phosphate catalyst. “Basically, we combined the best of both worlds,” explains Prof. Dr. Roel van de Krol, head of the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels: “We start with a chemically stable, low cost metal oxide, add a really good but simple silicon-based thin film solar cell, and – voilà – we’ve just created a cost-effective, highly stable, and highly efficient solar fuel device.”
- Spektakulärer EinbauIndustrienahe Anlage zur Herstellung von Dünnschichtsolarmodulen aus Kupfer-Indium-Gallium-Sulfid/Selenid am PVcomB komplett
- Watching solar cells growFor the first time, a team of researchers at the HZB led by Dr. Roland Mainz and Dr. Christian Kaufmann has managed to observe growth of high-efficiency chalcopyrite thin film solar cells in real time and to study the formation and degradation of defects that compromise efficiency. To this end, the scientists set up a novel measuring chamber at the Berlin electron storage ring BESSY II, which allows them to combine several different kinds of measuring techniques. Their results show during which process stages the growth can be accelerated and when additional time is required to reduce defects. Their work has now been published online in Advanced Energy Materials.
- Masdar PV and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin partner to accelerate development of next generation thin film crystalline silicon PV technology• HZB’s first milestone achieved by succeeding in depositing a thin, crystalline 10μm layer of silicon on glass utilizing laser-crystallization
- Polymer-coated catalyst protects "artificial leaf"Due to the fluctuating availability of solar energy, storage solutions are urgently needed. One option is to use the electrical energy generated inside solar cells to split water by means of electrolysis, in the process yielding hydrogen that can be used for a storable fuel. Researchers at the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels have modified so called superstrate solar cells with their highly efficient architecture in order to obtain hydrogen from water with the help of suitable catalysts. This type of cell works something like an "artificial leaf." But the solar cell rapidly corrodes when placed in the aqueous electrolyte solution. Now, Ph.D. student Diana Stellmach has found a way to prevent corrosion by embedding the catalysts in an electrically conducting polymer and then mounting them onto the solar cell's two contact surfaces, making her the first scientist in all of Europe to have come up with this solution. As a result, the cell's sensitive contacts are sealed to prevent corrosion with a stable yield of approx. 3.7 percent sunlight.
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin stärkt Aktivitäten zur Forschung an solaren Brennstoffen in Zusammenarbeit mit der Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Gestern hat der Senat der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft seine Zustimmung gegeben für die Ansiedlung eines neuen Helmholtz-Instituts zur Erforschung Erneuerbarer Energien in Erlangen und Nürnberg, kurz HI ERN. Das Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) ist neben dem Forschungszentrum Jülich und der Universität Erlangen und Nürnberg einer der Kooperationspartner und wird seine Expertise auf dem Gebiet der Dünnschicht-Photovoltaik in das neue Institut einbringen.
- HZB-Forscher Ahmed Ennaoui in den Vorsitz von IRESEN gewähltMarokko liegt im Sonnengürtel der Erde, nutzt bislang aber noch hauptsächlich importierte fossile Brennstoffe, um den Strombedarf zu decken. Doch das Land will die Forschung zu Solarenergie verstärken. Eine wichtige Rolle dabei wird das Institut IRESEN (Institut de Recherche en Energie Solaire et Energies Nouvelles) spielen, das als staatlicher Projektträger eine Forschungslandschaft in Marokko aufbauen und Industrie- und Grundlagenforschung miteinander verknüpfen soll. Nun wurde der erfahrene HZB-Solarexperte Prof. Dr. Ahmed Ennaoui in den Vorsitz des wissenschaftlichen Rats der Forschungseinrichtung IRESEN gewählt.
- Snap shots of one of life's central processesHuman Frontier Science Program provides funding of 900,000 US Dollars in support of international collaboration on photosynthesis.
- In der Dünnschicht-Photovoltaik liegt enormes Potenzial - Experten für Dünnschichtsolarzellen treffen sich vom 16. bis 18. April auf der „Photovoltaics Thin-Film Week“ in BerlinDie Krise in der Solarbranche ist noch nicht durchgestanden. Chinesische Unternehmen dominieren mit Billigpreisen den Markt für Solarmodule, aber auch in Asien können viele Unternehmen dem Wettbewerbsdruck nicht standhalten. Einen Wettbewerbsvorteil können hiesige Solarfirmen nur durch Technologievorsprung und konsequente Innovationen erreichen. Die Dünnschicht-Photovoltaik bietet ein großes, längst noch nicht ausgeschöpftes Potenzial für kostengünstige und leistungsfähige Solarmodule. Vom 16. bis 18. April treffen sich in Berlin Experten aus aller Welt bei der „Photovotaics Thinfilm-Week“. Forscher und Fachleute aus der Industrie tauschen sich über neuste Ergebnisse aus Forschung und Entwicklung der Dünnschichtphotovoltaik aus und beraten über notwendige politische Rahmenbedingungen.
- Magnetic fingerprints of interface defects in silicon solar cells detectedUsing a highly sensitive method of measurement, HZB physicists have managed to localize defects in amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells. Now, for the first time ever, using computer simulations at Paderborn University, the scientists were able to determine the defects' exact locations and assign them to certain structures within the interface between the amorphous and crystalline phases.
- Mit Mathematik die Sonne besser nutzen - das Virtuelle Institut „Mikrostruktur-Kontrolle für Solarzellen“ am HZB schafft breites Expertennetzwerk
Das Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) koordiniert seit kurzem ein Virtuelles Institut, das sich intensiv und mit einem breit angelegten Forschungsansatz modernen Solarzellen widmet. Es ist ein Schulterschluss von Forschern aus verschiedenen Forschungsdisziplinen, um die Grundlage für noch leistungsfähigere Solarzellen zu legen. Die Wissenschaftler wollen die komplexe Mikrostruktur polykristalliner Absorberschichten in Dünnschichtsolarzellen untersuchen und verstehen lernen.
- International summer school Quantsol conveys basics of photovoltaics and solar energy conversionFor the sixth year in a row, future solar researchers are invited to attend the HZB’s International Summer School on Photovoltaics and New Concepts of Quantum Solar Energy Conversion – Quantsol. The summer school program is scheduled for September 8th through the 15th in Hirschegg, Austria, and has been organized jointly by the Helmholtz Centre Berlin and Ilmenau Technical University. All interested parties are welcome to apply before May 26, 2013.
- Organic Electronics - How to make contact between carbon compounds and metalsOrganic electronics has already hit the market in smart-phone displays and holds great promise for future applications like flexible electroluminescent foils (a potential replacement for conventional light bulbs) or solar cells that convert sunlight to electricity. A reoccurring problem in this technology is to establish good electrical contact between the active organic layer and metal electrodes. Organic molecules are frequently used also for this purpose. Until now, however, it was practically impossible to accurately predict which molecules performed well on the job. They basically had to be identified by trial-and-error. Now, an international team of scientists around Dr. Georg Heimel and Prof. Norbert Koch from the HZB and the Humboldt University Berlin has unraveled the mystery of what these molecules have in common. Their discovery enables more focused improvements to contact layers between metal electrodes and active materials in organic electronic devices.
- New Options for transparent contact electrodesFound in flat screens, solar modules, or in new organic light-emitting diode (LED) displays, transparent electrodes have become ubiquitous. Typically, they consist of metal oxides like In2O3, SnO2, ZnO and TiO2 .
- MIT's Prof. Tuller named new recipient of Helmholtz International Fellow Award
World-renowned expert for solid state electrochemistry to conduct research at HZB
- PD Dr. Silke Christiansen verstärkt Energieforschung
Die Werkstoffwissenschaftlerin PD Dr. Silke Christiansen leitet ab Januar 2013 am Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin das neue Institut „Nanoarchitekturen für die Energiewandlung“. Damit baut das HZB die Solarenergieforschung weiter aus. Für den Aufbau des Instituts steht Frau Christiansen eine zusätzliche Finanzierung durch die Helmholtz-Rekrutierungsinitiative von 600.000 Euro pro Jahr über fünf Jahre zur Verfügung.
- Klaus Lips ist Professor an der Freien Universität BerlinProf. Dr. Klaus Lips hat den Ruf auf die W2-Professur „Analytik für die Photovoltaik“ am Fachbereich Physik der Freien Universität Berlin angenommen und wurde im Dezember 2012 offiziell ernannt. Gleichzeitig ist Klaus Lips wissenschaftlicher Leiter des Zukunftsprojekts „EMIL“ am Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin und wird in den nächsten Jahren am Elektronenspeicherring BESSY II ein einzigartiges Experimentierlabors für die in-situ Analytik von Dünnschichtsolarzellen aufbauen.
- Henning Döscher erhält Marie-Curie-Fellowship der Europäischen Union
Seit August erforscht er solare Brennstoffe am National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in den USA
- European Union allocates 10 million Euros to thin film solar cell projectEuropean research consortium's German partners to include Berlin's Helmholtz Centre and Free University
- PVcomB sets sputter system from Leybold Optics in operationBerlin competence centre for photovoltaics commences full operation with small modules
- Sommerschule zu Erneuerbaren Energien in der Schweiz: Noch können Bewerbungen eingereicht werdenDie Internationale Sommer-Universität zu Erneuerbaren Energien, ISUenergy 2012, findet vom 19.08. bis zum 31.08.2012 im Schweizerischen Falera statt. Master- und Diplomstudenten sowie Doktoranden, die teilnehmen möchten, können sich noch in den nächsten Wochen bewerben. Auf die Teilnehmer wartet ein abwechslungsreiches Programm aus Vorträgen und praktischen Übungen. Weitere Informationen zum Programm und zur Anmeldung für die Sommerschule finden Sie auf unserer Website.
- “Das Rennen ist noch nicht gelaufen“
Photovoltaics Thin-Film Week: Forschung als Chance für Solarwirtschaft
- Atomwanderung im Grenzgebiet: Mit bislang unerreichter Auflösung analysieren Forscher Korngrenzen in DünnschichtsolarzellenDünnschichtsolarzellen werden zukünftig einen großen Anteil am Photovoltaik-Markt haben, davon sind viele Experten überzeugt. Die Zellen aus Kupfer-Indium-Gallium-Selenid oder -Sulfid (CIGSe, CIS) unterscheiden sich in vielen Dingen von der klassischen Siliziumsolarzelle. So tragen in kristallinen Siliziumsolarzellen Korngrenzen substantiell zum Stromverlust bei. Mit CIGSe-Absorbern werden dagegen Wirkungsgrade von mehr als 20 Prozent erreicht, obwohl die polykristallinen Dünnschicht-Materialien eine hohe Dichte an Korngrenzen aufweisen. Woran das liegt, ist bislang noch ungeklärt.
- Energie-Allianz Berlin-Potsdam-Jülich: Forschung verspricht völlig neue Materialien für die PhotovoltaikDas Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin und das Forschungszentrum Jülich bilden zusammen mit der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, der Universität Potsdam und der Freien Universität Berlin eine der drei neuen Energie-Allianzen, die von der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft ins Leben gerufen wurden. Ziel dieser Energie-Allianz mit dem Namen „Anorganisch/organische Hybrid-Solarzellen und -Techniken für die Photovoltaik“ ist es, den drängenden Forschungsbedarf zum raschen Umbau der Energieversorgung gezielt zu decken. Die Vorhaben werden durch den Impuls- und Vernetzungsfonds der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft für drei Jahre gefördert, wobei die universitären Partner zusätzlich eigene Mittel einbringen. Eine Fortsetzung der Forschung auch über die drei Jahre hinaus ist geplant.
- Photochemical Turbo Power for Solar CellsHow organic molecules make yellow light from red.
- Vorfahren zum Schloss Bellevue: Das HZB darf sich auf der Woche der Umwelt präsentierenLetzte Woche bekam das HZB die offizielle Zusage, dass es bei der Leistungsschau für umweltfreundliche Technologien vor dem Schloss des Bundespräsidenten dabei sein wird. Die Veranstaltung findet am 5. und 6. Juni statt. Etwa 550 interessierte Unternehmen und Forschungseinrichtungen hatten Bewerbungen bei den Initiatoren, dem Bundespräsidialamt und Deutschen Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), eingereicht, um ausstellen zu dürfen. 200 Anträge davon wurden nun ausgewählt.
- ILGAR achieved efficiency recordHZB-scientists have received simultaneous confirmation of two records in efficiency levels for CIS thin film solar-modules.
- Back-contact heterojunction solar cell by HZB and ISFH achieves record efficiencyIndependent testing lab confirms 20.2 percent
- Three-Dimensional Characterization of Catalyst NanoparticlesCatalysts will forever be a part of modern technology. They are crucial to industrial chemical processes, are fundamental to low-emission cars and will be essential for energy production inside next generation fuel cells. In a cooperative between Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), scientists have produced the first three-dimensional representations of ruthenium catalyst particles only two nanometres in diameter using electron tomography.
- Messmethoden im Vergleich: Wie dünne Schichten für Solarzellen am besten untersucht werdenAlles Gute ist nie beisammen. In der Welt komplexer Geräte gilt dies in besonderem Maße. Will man beispielsweise einen neuen Fernseher oder ein Smartphone kaufen, nutzen deshalb viele Konsumenten vergleichende Bewertungen wie zum Beispiel von Stiftung Warentest. Sie helfen bei der Abwägung: worin unterscheiden sich die Geräte, was können sie, welche Funktionen sind besonders wichtig, worauf kann man möglicherweise verzichten. Bei der Analyse von dünnen Solarzellen-Schichten stehen Wissenschaft und Industrie vor einem ähnlichen Problem.
- PVcomB kooperiert im Rahmen der Innovationsallianz PhotovoltaikMehrere Projekte sollen mit Industriepartnern am PVcomB umgesetzt werden
- Thomas Hannappel erhält Stiftungsprofessur „Photovoltaik“ an der TU IlmenauTU Ilmenau und HZB unterzeichnen MoU für eine enge Kooperation in der Photovoltaik
- Transatlantische Kooperation in der SolarforschungDas Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin vereinbart gemeinsam mit DLR und Forschungszentrum Jülich die Zusammenarbeit mit dem amerikanischen Energieforschungsinstitut NREL
- ILGAR ist German High Tech Champion 2011Verfahren des Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin ermöglicht umweltverträgliche Herstellung von Dünnschicht-Solarzellen
- centrotherm photovoltaics schließt Kooperationsvertrag im Bereich Dünnschicht mit der renommierten Berliner Forschungseinrichtung PVcomBDownload der Pressemitteilung als PDF
- Bernd Rech über Solarenergie auf Deutsche Welle TVBernd Rech vom Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin spricht auf Deutsche Welle TV über Solarenergie. "Prinzipiell scheint die Sonne in einer Stunde so viel auf die Erde, wie die Weltbevölkerung derzeit das ganze Jahr braucht. Das heißt, es ist 10.000 mal mehr. Es geht nur darum, einen kleinen Teil davon zu nutzen", sagte Prof. Bernd Rech im Interview. Wie wir diese Energie nutzen können und warum die Anwendungen bisher weniger effizient sind, erfahren Sie im Video. Der Physiker arbeitet am Institut für Silizium-Photovoltaik des Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie.
- Leuchttürme der Photovoltaik in Berlin Adlershof
Das Kompetenzzentrum Dünnschicht- und Nanotechnologie für Photovoltaik Berlin (PVcomB) produziert erste Solarmodule. Zugleich Baubeginn des Zentrums für Photovoltaik (ZPV).
- Hochrangige Gäste kamen zur offiziellen Eröffnung des PVcomB am 30. MärzZur Einweihungsfeier des PVcomB am 30. März haben sich hochrangige Gäste aus Politik und Wissenschaft die Klinke in die Hand geben. Georg Schütte, Staatssekretär im Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, der Berliner Wissenschaftssenator Jürgen Zöllner und der Präsident der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft, Jürgen Mlynek, haben gemeinsam mit der HZB-Geschäftsführung das Kompetenzzentrum offiziell eröffnet.
- Henning Döscher gewinnt Essay-Wettbewerb "Welt der Zukunft"Wissenschaftler können nur trockene Texte verfassen? Von wegen! Der Solarforscher Henning Döscher hat gestern dieses Vorurteil klar widerlegt: Er erzielte den ersten Preis im Essay-Wettbewerb „Welt der Zukunft ‚Energie 2050‘ “. Im Rahmen der Abschlussveranstaltung zum Wissenschaftsjahr der Energie, welches vom HZB intensiv unterstützt wurde, erhielt er gestern von Forschungsministerin Schavan die Sieger-Urkunde – und die Aussicht auf einen spannenden Preis: Döscher wird an einer Reise eines Forschungsschiffes des Alfred-Wegener-Instituts für Polar- und Meeresforschung in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft teilnehmen.
- PVcomB produziert erste SchichtenEin neuer Abschnitt in der Geschichte des PVcomB hat begonnen: Am 15.11. erfolgte die erste eigene Beschichtung von 30 x 30 cm2 Glasmodulen mit amorphem Silizium. Die Deposition erfolgte an einer PECVD-Clusteranlage der Firma Applied Materials, Herzstück der Forschungslinie für Dünnschicht-Silizium, die am PVcomB aufgebaut wird.
- Current loss tracked down by magnetic fingerprint
HZB researchers solve the case of lost current in organic solar cells
- Untiring dedication to solar energyHZB researcher honoured with solar award for his successful research
- Forschung für die Dünnschichtphotovoltaik - Fraunhofer IST und HZB vereinbaren enge ZusammenarbeitWie kann der Wirkungsgrad von Solarzellen weiter gesteigert werden? Wie können die Kosten gesenkt werden? Antworten auf diese und andere Fragen zur Dünnschicht-photovoltaik geben das Fraunhofer-Institut für Schicht- und Oberflächentechnik IST und das Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) künftig gemeinsam. Beide Institute wollen ihre zentralen Kompetenzen zukünftig bündeln: das Fraunhofer IST bringt sein know how zur Dünnschichttechnik ein, das HZB ist führend auf dem Gebiet der Dünnschichtphotovoltaik
- Penetrable barriers – tunnelling welcome
The boundaries between grains in certain thin-film materials are no obstacle to charge carriers. They even help prevent losses in charge transport. Researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin obtain experi-mental evidence for a bold theory.
- Warum Dünnschichtsolarzellen aus Silizium altern
Pressemitteilung
Photovoltaik-Forschung des HZB als Weltspitze bewertetIm Ranking eines internationalen Wissenschafts-Verlages über Forschungsleistungen auf dem Gebiet der alternativen Energien schneidet das HZB als beste europäische Forschungseinrichtung ab und belegt weltweit den 3. Platz.
Photovoltaik-Forschung des HZB als Weltspitze bewertetIm Ranking eines internationalen Wissenschafts-Verlages über Forschungsleistungen auf dem Gebiet der alternativen Energien schneidet das HZB als beste europäische Forschungseinrichtung ab und belegt weltweit den 3. Platz.Millionen für die Solarenergie in Berlin-Adlershof - Bund fördert den Technologietransfer und Ausbildung in der Dünnschicht-PhotovoltaikEin Verbundprojekt von Forschungsinstituten und Hochschulen aus Berlin und Brandenburg hat den Zuschlag für die Förderung im Rahmen des Programms "Spitzenforschung und Innovationen in den neuen Ländern" erhalten. Das Programm wird vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) mit 12 Millionen Euro gefördert, der Senat Berlin fügt 25% der Förderungssumme hinzu. Die Partner im Verbundprojekt, das von den führenden Technologiefirmen der Dünnschicht-Photovoltaik unterstützt wird, bauen mit dem Geld ein Forschungszentrum zur Optimierung der Dünnschicht-Photovoltaik weiter aus. Lesen Sie dazu unsere Pressemitteilung
Millionen für die PhotovoltaikDas Kompetenzzentrum "Dünnschicht- und Nanotechnologie für Photovoltaik Berlin (PVcomB)", ein Verbundprojekt von Forschungsinstituten und Hochschulen aus Berlin und Brandenburg, ist eines der Gewinnerprojekte des BMBF-Förderprogramms "Spitzenforschung und Innovationen in den neuen Ländern". Im Rahmen dieses Programms erhält das PVcomB 12 Millionen Euro, der Senat Berlin fügt 25% der Fördersumme hinzu. Die Partner im Verbundprojekt, das von den führenden Technologiefirmen der Dünnschicht-Photovoltaik unterstützt wird, bauen mit dem Geld ein Forschungszentrum zur Optimierung der Dünnschicht-Photovoltaik weiter aus.Forschung, Technologie- und Marktentwicklung – die „Photovoltaics Thin-Film Week“ in Berlin Adlershof (20.–24.04.2009)Der Wissenschafts- und Technologiepark Adlershof (WISTA) entwickelt sich zu einem der weltweit führenden Standorte der Photovoltaik-Forschung und -Produktion.Vom 20. bis 24. April veranstalten hier das HZB – Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, das PVcomB – Kompetenzzentrum Dünnschicht- und Nanotechnologie für Photovoltaik Berlin sowie der solare Wissensdienstleiter Solarpraxis die „Photovoltaics Thin-Film Week“.
Emad Flear Aziz Bekhit erhält den Ernst-Eckhard-Koch-PreisFür seine Doktorarbeit an der Freien Universität Berlin hat Emad Flear Aziz Bekhit heute den Ernst-Eckhard-Koch-Preis erhalten. Emad Aziz hat eine Experimentierkammer gebaut, mit denen er wässrige Proben im Ultrahochvakuum spektroskopisch untersuchen kann. Die Kammer hat den Namen LIQUIDROME und ist schon nach kurzer Zeit zu einem beliebten Werkzeug in der BESSY II Methodensammlung geworden.Marcus Bär baut Nachwuchsgruppe zur Entwicklung von Dünnschichtsolarzellen am HMI aufDas Hahn-Meitner-Institut (HMI) baut im Bereich Solarenergieforschung ab sofort eine neue Nachwuchsgruppe auf. Wie die Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft mitteilt, gehört Dr. Marcus Bär zu den 13 jungen Forschern, die in das Förderprogramm aufgenommen werden. Der 32-jährige Ingenieur ist derzeit an der University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA, beschäftigt. Er wird am HMI an der Verbesserung von Dünnschichtsolarzellen forschen und an der Brandenburgischen Technischen Universität Cottbus (BTU) seine Erfahrung an Studierende weitergeben.
Wasser in laufender Brennstoffzelle sichtbar gemachtWissenschaftlern des Berliner Hahn-Meitner-Instituts (HMI) und des Zentrums für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung (ZSW) in Ulm gelingt ein einzigartiger Blick in Brennstoffzellen. Obwohl eine Brennstoffzelle aus vielen Schichten undurchsichtiger Materialien besteht und von einem dichten Metallgehäuse umgeben ist, können die Forscher mit ihren neu entwickelten Methoden unmittelbar verfolgen, wie Wasser im Inneren der Brennstoffzelle entsteht und abfließt. Die Bilder helfen, das „Wassermanagement“ von Brennstoffzellen zu verstehen und dadurch die Zellen zu optimieren.Magnetische Fingerabdrücke im FotostromWissenschaftlern des Hahn-Meitner-Instituts Berlin (HMI) sowie der Freien Universität (FU) Berlin ist ein außergewöhnlicher Einblick ins Innere von organischen Materialien gelungen. Die Physiker konnten im Fotostrom erstmals eine Quantensignatur magnetisch aktiver Zentren in einer molekularen Schicht beobachten. Daraus ergeben sich neue Möglichkeiten sowohl für das Ein- und Auslesen von Quanteninformationen in molekularen Spinquantencomputern als auch für ein verbessertes Verständnis von organischer Photovoltaik.
Der weltweit stärkste Magnet für Neutronenexperimente wird in Berlin errichtetDer Kooperationsvertrag zwischen dem Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin (HMI) und dem National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) Tallahassee (Florida State University) zum Bau eines neuen Hochfeldmagneten ist unterzeichnet worden. Er wird der weltweit stärkste Magnet für Neutronenstreuexperimente. Von den Experimenten an dem Magneten erwarten Forscher neue Erkenntnisse zu Fragen aus der Physik, Chemie, Biologie und den Materialwissenschaften, unter anderem Beiträge zum Verständnis der Hochtemperatursupraleitung.Kompetenzzentrum Dünnschicht- und Nanotechnologie für Photovoltaik wird in Berlin aufgebautDas Hahn-Meitner-Institut (HMI), die Technische Universität Berlin (TUB) sowie acht führende Industrie-Unternehmen unterzeichnen ein Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) zur Gründung des Kompetenzzentrum Dünnschicht- und Nanotechnologie für Photovoltaik.
Nanomuster bringen Strom unter Kontrolle: Natriumkobaltoxid als perfektes Material für Laptop-Batterien, als Kühlmittel oder SupraleiterRegelmäßige Muster aus Natriumatomen mit Strukturen im Nanometerbereich machen Natriumkobaltoxid zu einem perfekten Material für Laptop-Batterien, effiziente Kühlmittel oder Supraleiter – das berichten Wissenschaftler des Berliner Hahn-Meitner-Instituts, des CEA-Forschungszentrums in Saclay bei Paris und der Universität Liverpool in der neuesten Ausgabe des Wissenschaftsmagazins Nature. Dabei bestimmt die genaue Anordnung der Natriumatome die Eigenschaften des Materials, wobei das jeweilige Natriummuster sehr empfindlich von der Dichte an Natriumatomen abhängt. Diese ist mit chemischen Methoden leicht veränderbar, und man kann so aus einem anfangs metallischen Material einen Isolator und dann einen Supraleiter machen. Man bringt dazu das Material in eine elektrochemische Zelle und ändert die Spannung.Ein Schritt zum Quantencomputer - Physiker messen Quantenzustände mit elektrischem StromFür ein vor acht Jahren vorgeschlagenes Konzept zur Realisierung von Quantencomputern aus Phosphor und Silizium ist ein Prinzip gefunden worden, mit dem die Information nach Beendigung des Rechenprozesses ausgelesen werden kann. Eine raffinierte Kombination von elektrischen, magnetischen und optischen Effekten erlaubt es, den magnetischen Zustand der Phosphoratome zu bestimmen. Das haben Physiker der Technischen Universität München, der University of Utah und des Hahn-Meitner Instituts in Berlin-Adlershof jetzt demonstriert und in der Fachzeitschrift Nature Physics veröffentlicht.
Untersuchungen selbstorganisierter Nanostrukturen bei BESSY mit Carl-Ramsauer-Preis ausgezeichnetDer Physiker Dr. Andrei Varykhalov hat Quantenphänomene in seiner Dissertation studiert, seine Untersuchungen führte er am Berliner Elektronenspeicherring BESSY durch. Für seine Arbeit mit dem Titel Quanteneffekte in der elektronischen Struktur neuer selbstorganisierter Systeme mit reduzierter Dimensionalität wird er von der Physikalischen Gesellschaft zu Berlin mit dem Carl-Ramsauer-Preis ausgezeichnet.
Steigert Unordnung die Effizienz von Solarzellen?Dünnschichtsolarzellen aus Chalkopyriten, so genannte CIS-Zellen (wie z.B. Kupfer-Indium-Sulfid und Kupfer-Indium-Selenid) weisen in der polykristallinen Form im Gegensatz zu Silizium-Zellen höhere Effizienzen auf als in der monokristallinen Form. Forscher des Hahn- Meitner-Instituts Berlin haben nun erstmals einen Nachweis geliefert, der dieses Phänomen erklären könnte.
Neue Abscheidemethode für DünnschichtsolarzellenBerliner Forscher haben ein industriell etabliertes Beschichtungsverfahren für die Herstellung von Dünnschichtsolarzellen modifiziert. Mit dem großtechnisch eingesetzten Verfahren des Magnetronsputterns können prinzipiell höhere Abscheideraten und qualitativ bessere Schichten erzielt werden.
EU-Projekt ATHLET will Dünnschichtsolarzellen an den Markt bringenDie Kostensenkung von Solarzellen ist die zentrale Herausforderung der modernen Photovoltaik. In Berlin startet am 20. Februar das europaweit größte Forschungsprojekt, das sich dieser Herausforderung stellt. Universitäten, Forschungseinrichtungen und Unternehmen aus 11 Ländern arbeiten zusammen, um den Übergang der zweiten Generation von Solarzellen, so genannten Dünnschichtzellen, aus den Laboren in den Markt zu beschleunigen.
Bundesverdienstorden für Martha Lux-SteinerDie Physikerin Prof. Dr. sc. nat. Martha Christina Lux-Steiner erhält am 5. Oktober 1999 im Berliner Schloß Bellevue aus der Hand des Bundespräsidenten Johannes Rau den Bundesverdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Damit würdigt der Bundespräsident die wissenschaftlichen Leistungen von Frau Prof. Lux-Steiner auf dem Gebiet der solaren Energiegewinnung und ihren besonderen Einsatz für die regionale Zusammenarbeit zwischen Industrie und Forschung.