Professorship at the University of Augsburg for Felix Büttner
Prof. Dr. Felix Büttner has been called at the University Augsburg. He heads now a joint research group at HZB. © Uni Augsburg
Felix Büttner has led a junior research group at HZB. Now he has accepted a call to the University of Augsburg. As head of a joint research group, he will continue his studies of magnetic skyrmions at BESSY II.
Felix Büttner has been leading a junior research group at HZB since the beginning of 2020, funded by the Young Investigator Grant of the Helmholtz Association. In spring 2022, he was awarded the Walter Schottky Prize of the German Physical Society for his pioneering achievements in the field of magnetic skyrmions. Since July, he holds a professorship at the Institute of Physics, University Augsburg.
Felix Büttner studied in Göttingen and received his doctorate in 2013 for his work at the interface of magnetism and X-ray physics. After a stint in industry at Daimler AG, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2015-2020.
Prof. Dr. Büttner investigates nanotextures in magnetic thin-film materials and drives the development of ultrahigh-resolution X-ray microscopy techniques. The aim is to understand the particle-like dynamics of such topological textures and to prepare their application in information technology.
Under a cooperation agreement between the University of Augsburg and HZB, Büttner will work one day a week at HZB, where he runs laboratories in Wannsee and carries out measurements at BESSY II. His research group will remain in full size.
- 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.