HZB has signed the “Charta der Vielfalt” (Diversity Charter)
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HZB is an employer that comprehensively strengthens and cares for the diversity of its employees. HZB publicly acknowledges this by signing the Diversity Charter. The charter is run by an association that works to anchor diversity in the working world.
By signing, HZB commits to the following goal:
"At HZB, we promote and value the diversity of our employees. Diversity creates new opportunities for cooperation and creativity for science. Tapping into these potentials and making them sustainable elements of the work culture is our goal."
Here you get to the HZB entry of the Diversity Charter.
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) was the first non-university research institution to undergo the Stifterverband's diversity audit "Shaping Diversity." The certification attests to the HZB's opportunity-oriented concepts and measures for diverse groups of people.
Diversity Charter
4500 companies and institutions have signed the Diversity Charter to date and are committed to an appreciative and prejudice-free working environment. The association thus represents 14.6 million employees in Germany. Here you find the "Diversity Charter in wording" document.
German Diversity Day 2022
Diversity Day will be held for the 10th time in Germany on May 31. HZB will also participate and show its colours! More about this in the near future.
- 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.