European Workshop on Nanophotonics for Solar Energy
Participants of the European Workshop on Nanophotonics for Solar Energy. © HZB
On 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”.
On 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”.
During this workshop, current trends and developments in this field were discussed. Further, future opportunities and possibilities for collaboration were explored during discussions, which were initiated with a talk on funding within the European Commission Horizon 2020 program by Dr. David Kolman from the Brussels Office of the Helmholtz Association. The highlight of the workshop was the Distinguished Lecture by Prof. Thomas F. Krauss from the University of York (UK), in which he shared his vision on the future of Photovoltaics and informed us about the latest research results from his group.
This workshop was initiated and organized by Christiane Becker, Sven Burger and Klaus Jäger within the Berlin Joint Lab for Optical Simulations for Energy (BerOSE), which is a collaboration between Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Zuse Institute Berlin and the Free University Berlin.
- Humboldt-Fellow at HZB-Institute for Solar Fuels: Alexander R. UhlAlexander R. Uhl, UBC Okanagan School of Engineering in Kelowna, Canada, aims to develop with Roel van de Krol from the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels an efficient and inexpensive photoelectrolyser for producing hydrogen using sunlight. His stay is being funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
- MXene for energy storage: More versatile than expectedMXene materials are promising candidates for a new energy storage technology. However, the processes by which the charge storage takes place were not yet fully understood. A team at HZB has examined, for the first time, individual MXene flakes to explore these processes in detail. Using the in situ Scanning transmission X-ray microscope 'MYSTIIC' at BESSY II, the scientists mapped the chemical states of Titanium atoms on the MXene flake surfaces. The results revealed two distinct redox reactions, depending on the electrolyte. This lays the groundwork for understanding charge transfer processes at the nanoscale and provides a basis for future research aimed at optimising pseudocapacitive energy storage devices.
- Bernd Rech elected to the BR50 Board of DirectorsThe Scientific Director at Helmholt-Zentrum Berlin is the new face behind the "Natural Sciences" unit at Berlin Research 50 (BR50). Following the election in December 2025, the constituent meeting of the new BR50 Board of Directors took place on 22 January 2026.
Its members are Michael Hintermüller (Weierstrass Institute, WIAS), Noa K. Ha (German Centre for Integration and Migration Research, DeZIM), Volker Haucke (Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology, FMP), Uta Bielfeldt (German Rheumatism Research Centre Berlin, DRFZ) and Bernd Rech (HZB).