HZB re-certified as a compatibility-friendly company again
The new audit logo for long-time certified companies © berufundfamilie Service GmbH
HZB has been certified as a family-friendly employer since 2011. Now the research centre has successfully completed the re-auditing process and developed further measures to promote a life phase conscious working culture. The certificate is considered a seal of quality for the company's compatibility policy and is awarded by the board of trustees of berufundfamilie Service GmbH.
In autumn 2020, HZB conducted an employee survey which showed that most employees are aware of and appreciate the numerous options HZB offers: flexible working hours, mobile working, part-time models, advice and practical help for employees with care responsibilities or small children.
At the same time, the survey made it clear that the needs of many employees in terms of compatibility have increased - not only, but also because of Corona. The need for support, especially for people with family responsibilities, has increased in the past year. Anja Seehrich, who heads the Office for Work and Life (OWL) at HZB, has also noticed this in her consultations. "Most are glad to work at HZB because they can count on a lot of understanding and practical support here."
Over the next three years, HZB will establish further measures that employees and managers worked out together. These include, among other things, reviewing the existing rules on home office, management guidelines and raising awareness of mental and physical diseases.
- 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.
- BESSY II: New procedure for better thermoplasticsBio-based thermoplastics are produced from renewable organic materials and can be recycled after use. Their resilience can be improved by blending bio-based thermoplastics with other thermoplastics. However, the interface between the materials in these blends sometimes requires enhancement to achieve optimal properties. A team from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands has now investigated at BESSY II how a new process enables thermoplastic blends with a high interfacial strength to be made from two base materials: Images taken at the new nano station of the IRIS beamline showed that nanocrystalline layers form during the process, which increase material performance.
- 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.