Distinguished Lectures at HZB: Prof. T. Krauss will talk about Photovoltaics and Photonic nanostructures
Solar power has the highest potential among all renewable energy sources, it is clean and practically inexhaustible. Despite the already very high performance of silicon solar cells with 25% efficiency and low costs, a lot of research is yet required in order to realise the vision of a solar-powered society. Can we reduce module cost by integrating solar cells into buildings? Can we improve efficiency without increasing cost, by adding low-cost materials such as perovskites? What role can photonic nanostructures play to help control the flow of light?
One of the main problems of photovoltaics is that the sun does not shine much in winter or at night. Can nanophotonics contribute to the storage problem? Thomas Krauss will discuss these and related questions with the goal of informing future research into nanostructures for photovoltaics.
The D-lecture will open the European Workshop on Nanophotonics for Solar Energy – Current Trends and Future Challenges on 25th and 26th November.
Time and location:
We cordially invite you to the talk of Prof. Thomas Krauss, York University, UK.
Date: 25th November 2015 at 11 o’clock am.
Location: lecture hall of the Wilhelm-Conrad-Röntgen-Campus of HZB
After Prof. Krauss’ presentation we will have a lunch buffet and time for informal discussion in the BESSY foyer.
About the speaker:
TF Krauss is a full professor at the University of York, UK, where he leads the Photonics research group and the cleanroom facility in the York Nanocentre. He has published 280 refereed journal articles, with 12000 lifetime citations and an “h” factor of 59, as well as 5 patents. His expertise is in the design and fabrication of photonic crystals and photonic nanostructures where he has made pivotal contributions that turned photonic crystals from an academic curiosity into the ubiquitous concept in Photonics that they are today.
- Does African Architecture exist?The world’s first Pan-African Architecture Biennale took place this September in Nairobi, Kenya. People from the worlds of architecture, art, academia and politics from 54 African countries and the diaspora had travelled to Nairobi to exchange ideas on traditional and contemporary building methods, materials, experiences and projects. Samira Aden co-organised this biennial as lead curator. We spoke to her about it.
- Nanosilver as an electrocatalyst for CO₂ reductionVia electrolysis, CO2 can be reduced to CO, a raw material for further chemical products such as fuels. Within the GreenQuest Project, an internation team led by HZB chemist Prashanth Menezes has now systematically investigated catalyst layers made of silver nanoparticles, varying both the size of the particles and their density. The best yield was achieved with nanoparticles with diameters of around 10 nm, which were loosely distributed. Furthermore, they demonstrated how the economic efficiency of the electrochemical cell can be enhanced by integrating an additional chemical reaction at the anode, enabling the simultaneous production of a valuable formic acid, hydrogen, and CO in one device.
- Marcel Risch has been appointed Professor at the Freie Universität BerlinMarcel Risch was appointed to a W2-S professorship in the Department of Physics at Freie Universität Berlin in August 2026. His research group has been transformed into the department 'Mechanisms of Sustainable Electrocatalysis'. Risch investigates the fundamental mechanisms of electrocatalytic reactions and, on this basis, develops knowledge- and data-driven strategies to improve electrocatalysts for the sustainable production of hydrogen, fuels and chemicals.