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Department Spins in Energy Conversion and Quantum Information Science

Spins in Energy Materials - SPEM

Group Leader: P.  Groszewicz

The working group Spins in Energy Materials (AG SPEM) focuses on the identification and quantification of paramagnetic states in energy materials. The EPR activities take place in two Joint Labs, the Berlin Joint EPR Laboratory (BeJEL) between HZB and FU Berlin (including transient EPR, in cooperation with JunProf J. Behrends) and the Joint Lab EPR4Energy between MPI-CEC and HZB in cooperation with Dr. Alexander Schnegg (including frequency-domain THz-EPR).

The JointLabs (location Adlershof) are equipped with five unique EPR spectrometers, covering a frequency range from 9 GHz to more than 20 THz and magnetic fields up to 12 T. In addition, a 400MHz NMR laboratory was established in March 2020. THz-EPR at BESSY II and NMR are operated as user facilities at HZB.

The EPR activities take place in two Joint Labs, the Berlin Joint EPR Laboratory (BeJEL) between HZB and FU Berlin (including transient EPR, in cooperation with JunProf J. Behrends) and the Joint Lab EPR4Energy between MPI-CECand HZB in cooperation with Dr. Alexander Schnegg (including frequency-domain THz-EPR).

One focus of the research of the SPEM group is the development and application of new operando/in situ EPR methods, such as in-situ (photo)catalysis (cooperation MPI-CEC) or EPR-on-a-Chip (EPRoC), which is developed together with the University of Stuttgart. Besides the investigation of structural and electrical defects in solar cell materials, the aim is to study structure-function relationships at catalytically active interfaces as well as in electrochemical processes as occur in battery materials. The EPRoC and NMR activities have been funded by the BMBF since May 2019 with 6.6 M€ through a network coordinated by the head of ASPIN, with the long-term goal of commercialization. The research of the SPEM group focuses on the development and application of operando/in situ EPR methods for (photo)catalytic, electrochemical and solar cell applications as well as on the investigation of charge transfer processes at heterointerfaces using electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) and conductive AFM (cAFM), the latter in close cooperation with the University of Utah (USA).