Guest researcher at HZB: Bessel Prize Winner Benjamin Rotenberg
Benjamin Rotenberg is a guest researcher at the HZB-Institute for Solar Fuels in 2018. © CNRS/Cyril Fresillon
Prof. 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.
Rotenberg heads a theory group at the PHENIX laboratory of the (CNRS) and Sorbonne Université in Paris. He has previously worked at research establishments in Amsterdam, Berkeley, Barcelona, and Cambridge. The models developed by him can be applied to many problems, especially to those in the environmental field and energy research.
Currently, Rotenberg is concentrating on processes in complex material systems that are of interest for energy storage and conversion. It was for this reason that Prof. Joe Dzubiella, who heads a theory group at the HZB, nominated him for the Bessel Research Prize. During his time at the HZB-Institute for Solar Fuels, Rotenberg will work closely with colleagues from experimentation groups investigating complex electrolytes and catalysts that facilitate production of hydrogen from sunlight.
About the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Prize
Nominees for the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Prize must be internationally recognised scientists from abroad who have completed their doctorates no more than 18 years ago. This funding enables them to carry out research of their own choosing in collaboration with colleagues in Germany over a period of up to one year. The prize is endowed with 45,000 euros.
For further information: https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/bessel-award.html
- Battery research with the HZB X-ray microscopeNew cathode materials are being developed to further increase the capacity of lithium batteries. Multilayer lithium-rich transition metal oxides (LRTMOs) offer particularly high energy density. However, their capacity decreases with each charging cycle due to structural and chemical changes. Using X-ray methods at BESSY II, teams from several Chinese research institutions have now investigated these changes for the first time with highest precision: at the unique X-ray microscope, they were able to observe morphological and structural developments on the nanometre scale and also clarify chemical changes.
- Martin Keller elected new president of the Helmholtz AssociationThe Helmholtz Association has appointed internationally respected US-based scientist Martin Keller as its new president. Her has lived in the United States for nearly three decades, during which he has held various scientific leadership roles at prominent institutions. Since 2015, Keller has directed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. His term begins on 1.11. 2025.
- Hydrogen: Breakthrough in alkaline membrane electrolysersA team from the Technical University of Berlin, HZB, IMTEK (University of Freiburg) and Siemens Energy has developed a highly efficient alkaline membrane electrolyser that approaches the performance of established PEM electrolysers. What makes this achievement remarkable is the use of inexpensive nickel compounds for the anode catalyst, replacing costly and rare iridium. At BESSY II, the team was able to elucidate the catalytic processes in detail using operando measurements, and a theory team (USA, Singapore) provided a consistent molecular description. In Freiburg, prototype cells were built using a new coating process and tested in operation. The results have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Catalysis.