MIT's Prof. Tuller named new recipient of Helmholtz International Fellow Award
World-renowned expert for solid state electrochemistry to conduct research at HZB
In recognition of his outstanding scientific achievements, the Helmholtz Association has named Prof. Dr. Harry L. Tuller the next recipient of the Helmholtz International Fellow Award. The award in the amount of 20,000 Euros also includes an invitation for an extended stay at the Helmholtz Centre Berlin (HZB). During his stay, Prof. Tuller will be conducting research at HZB’s new Institute of Solar Fuels. The goal of this exchange is for HZB to benefit from the internationally renowned researcher's unparalleled expertise in the area of solid state electrochemistry, while mutually sharing competencies.
Prof. Dr. Harry L. Tuller is a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the Crystal Physics and Electroceramics Laboratory at MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He has authored over 380 articles that have been published in numerous scientific journals, is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Electroceramics, co-editor of 15 books, and holds some 28 patents. Tuller has made important contributions to the areas of fuel cells, batteries, semi-conductors, photonics, sensors and nanomaterials. He holds two honorary doctorates as well as an honorary professorship.
"I am particularly excited that Prof. Tuller was chosen for this award and we are very fortunate to have him here during his research stay. His scientific focus meshes exceptionally well with that of our newly founded institute and we will greatly benefit from his wealth of knowledge in this area. I expect it will be a very inspirational time for all of us," confirms Prof. Roel van de Krol, head of HZB's Institute of Solar Fuels. It was he who originally proposed nominating Tuller for the award. "I am quite certain that Prof. Tuller’s insights and guidance will be invaluable to ours and other related areas of research, like chalcopyrite solar cells.“
The Institute of Solar Fuels studies and develops innovative material systems for the efficient conversion of solar into chemical energy. During this electrolytic process, water molecules are split into their atomic building blocks oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H). Roel van de Krol and his research group are planning to use metal oxides as semi-conductors and develop them so as to create a more stable chemical while making the reaction more efficient. Prof. Tuller is an expert in the study of defects and transport in metal oxides. During his stay at HZB, he plans to offer a series of seminars open to all who are interested.
Contact and Faculty: Prof. Dr. Harry L. Tuller
- Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications (HIPOLE Jena) InauguratedOn June 17, 2024, the Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications (HIPOLE Jena) was officially inaugurated in Jena in the presence of Wolfgang Tiefensee, Minister for Economy, Science, and Digital Society of the Free State of Thuringia. The institute was founded by the Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy (HZB) in cooperation with the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. It is dedicated to developing sustainable polymer materials for energy technologies, which are expected to play a key role in the energy transition and support Germany’s goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2045.
- “Research and development in times of war: not only possible, but crucial!”The Ukraine Recovery Conference took place in Berlin on 11 and 12 June. On a side-event representatives from Helmholtz, Fraunhofer and Leibniz discussed how research can contribute to the sustainable reconstruction of Ukraine.
In this interview, Bernd Rech, scientific director at HZB, talks about the importance of research during the war and projects such as Green Deal Ukraina. - MXenes for energy storage: Chemical imaging more than just surface deepA new method in spectromicroscopy significantly improves the study of chemical reactions at the nanoscale, both on surfaces and inside layered materials. Scanning X-ray microscopy (SXM) at MAXYMUS beamline of BESSY II enables the investigation of chemical species adsorbed on the top layer (surface) or intercalated within the MXene electrode (bulk) with high chemical sensitivity. The method was developed by a HZB team led by Dr. Tristan Petit. The scientists demonstrated among others first SXM on MXene flakes, a material used as electrode in lithium-ion batteries.