Hanwha Q-Cells Quantsol Awards 2018
Alejandra Villanueva Tovar, Pavlo Perkhun, Erin Looney, Tom Veeken, Gizem Birant, Harald Reinhold (from left) have been awarded with an HQCQ 2018. © HZB
Six young researchers received a Hanwha Q-Cells Quantsol Award for their self-developed Photovoltaics. This award is presented by the organizers of the international summer school Quantsol together with the industry.
The International Summer School on Photovoltaics and New Concepts of Quantum Solar Energy Conversion (Quantsol) took place from 2 to 9 September 2018 in Hirschegg / Kleinwalsertal, Austria, for the eleventh time in a row. More than 50 prospective solar researchers from 20 countries attended the event. The participants received a comprehensive introduction into photovoltaics and solar fuel generation. Experts from leading research institutes all over the world presented the basic processes for converting solar energy into chemical and electrical energy and showed ways to their technical application. Newer materials, such as the promising perovskites or oxides for water splitting, as well as special analytical methods were also discussed in detail.
As last year, the Hanwha Q-Cells Quantsol Prize (QHQC Award 2018, see photo), was awarded in four categories. The winners in the team categories were Gizem Birant (University of Hasselt, Belgium) and Alejandra Villanueva Tovar (HZB) for the best self-built solar cell and Pavlo Perkhun (CINaM - Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille, France) and Harald Reinhold (Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg) for the best optical simulation of a perovskite silicon tandem solar cell. In the individual category, the prize went to the most active participant Erin Looney (MIT, USA) and Tom Veeken (AMOLF, Netherlands) for the best single crystal produced with the Epi-Simulator.
“We would like to thank all the helpers from the HZB and the TU Ilmenau as well as both research institutions, without whom it would not have been possible to organize and carry out such a high-quality school," said Prof. Klaus Lips, who – together with Prof. Thomas Hannappel, TU Ilmenau, is organizing this summerschool since eleven years. Due to the great demand, the next Quantsol Summer Schools are planned for September 2019 and 2020.
- How carbonates influence CO2-to-fuel conversionResearchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI) have uncovered how carbonate molecules affect the conversion of CO2 into valuable fuels on gold electrocatalysts. Their findings reveal key molecular mechanisms in CO2 electrocatalysis and hydrogen evolution, pointing to new strategies for improving energy efficiency and reaction selectivity.
- Peat as a sustainable precursor for fuel cell catalyst materialsIron-nitrogen-carbon catalysts have the potential to replace the more expensive platinum catalysts currently used in fuel cells. This is shown by a study conducted by researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and universities in Tartu and Tallinn, Estonia. At BESSY II, the team observed the formation of complex microstructures within various samples. They then analysed which structural parameters were particularly important for fostering the preferred electrochemical reactions. The raw material for such catalysts is well decomposed peat.
- Helmholtz Investigator Group on magnonsDr Hebatalla Elnaggar is setting up a new Helmholtz Investigator Group at HZB. At BESSY II, the materials scientist will investigate so-called magnons in magnetic perovskite thin films. The aim is to lay the foundations for future terahertz magnon technology: magnonic devices operating in the terahertz range could process data using a fraction of the energy required by the most advanced semiconductor devices, and at speeds up to a thousand times faster.