BR50: How Berlin could be developed into a world-leading science metropolis

The Science Year 2025 is dedicated to the topic of ‘Future Energy’ and the Helmholtz Association is conducting cutting-edge research in this field.  An interview with Bernd Rech, Vice-President Energy of the Helmholtz Association and Scientific Director at HZB, on topics such as: Where does Germany stand with the restructuring of its energy system? What contribution can research make? And what about hydrogen, nuclear energy and nuclear fusion, and the new challenges for a secure supply in times of cyber attacks?

Nanostructures with specific electromagnetic patterns promise applications in nanoelectronics and future information technologies. However, it is very challenging to control those patterns. Now, a team at HZB examined a specific class of nanoislands on silicon with interesting chiral, swirling polar textures, which can be stabilised and even reversibly switched by an external electric field.

A team from HZB and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (IWS) in Dresden has gained new insights into lithium-sulphur pouch cells at the BAMline of BESSY II. Supplemented by analyses in the HZB imaging laboratory and further measurements, a new picture emerges of processes that limit the performance and lifespan of this industrially relevant battery type. The study has been published in the prestigious journal Advanced Energy Materials.