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Sharing knowledge is a pleasure for Roland Müller. Here he explains to his granddaughter how BESSY II works.
NEWS
Life Time Achievement Award for Roland Müller In the more than thirty years of his career at BESSY, the physicist has advanced many projects on control systems at accelerators and has been particularly committed to the international exchange of knowledge.
The picture shows the glowing filament which keeps the sample at constant temperatures during the measurements.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Ultrafast magnetism: heating magnets, freezing time A team at HZB has developed a new method at BESSY II to quantify one of these mechanisms and applied it to the rare-earth element Gadolinium, whose magnetic properties are caused by electrons on both the 4f and the 5d shells.
Olga Kasian has accepted a professorship at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU).
NEWS
Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg appoints Olga Kasian he W2 professorship is entitled "Materials for Electrochemical Energy Conversion" and is located at the Faculty of Engineering.
Maximilian Fleischer, speaker of the Industry Council and Tobias Henschel, Winner of the HZB Technology Transfer Preises 2021.
NEWS
Solar energy for a sport watch: HZB Technology Transfer Prize 2021 awarded A research group at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has made this possible. Their transparent photovoltaics have now even made it into mass production, securing the team this year's HZB Technology Transfer Award.
Annette Pietzsch infront of her instrument at the PTB hall at BESSY II.
PORTRAIT
Portrait Annette Pietzsch: Researching fundamental phenomena of our world Annette Pietzsch has many jobs: the physicist develops instruments for BESSY II that researchers can use to observe how molecules interact with each other.
Five different types of defects in MAPI-perovskites were examined and characterised. The result: a large proportion of defects is not trapping the charge carriers for long.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Perovskite solar cells: Defects trap charge carriers - and release them again An international team at HZB and Charles University Prague has investigated how charge carriers in so called MAPI-perovskite semiconductors interact with different defects. Their results help to improve perovskite solar cells.
Map obtained for a thin barium titanate film after clustering the data measured by contact Kelvin probe force microscopy (cKPFM) by a machine learning method. From this map, scientists can obtain detailed information on how the ferroelectric domains are distributed and what their respective polarization amplitude is.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
A sharp look into tiny ferroelectric crystals What happens to ferroelectric materials when their dimensions are greatly reduced? A team of researchers at HZB has now been able to show how this question can be answered in a detailed way.
Information on beam quality can be extracted via the interference patterns at different focal lengths and photon intensities.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Beam diagnostics for future laser wakefield accelerators Such compact particle accelerators are interesting for future accelerator-driven light sources. A team from HZB and PTB has now developed a method to advance the technology.
Such metal foams based on aluminium alloys are being investigated as lightweight materials, for example for the construction of electric cars. The morphology, size and cross-linking of the bubbles are important to achieve the desired mechanical properties such as strength and stiffness in large components.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
New world record in materials research - X-ray microscopy with 1000 tomograms... With 1000 tomograms per second, it is now possible to non-destructively document very fast processes and developments in materials on the micrometre scale, such as the burning of a sparkler or the foaming of a metal alloy ....
NEWS
Technology Transfer Award ceremony on 5.10.: Visit the poster exhibitions On 5 October, the best innovation project from HZB will be awarded the Technology Transfer Prize 2021. The award ceremony will be broadcast online from the BESSY II lecture hall from 2 pm. You can already find out about all the submitted projects in our ...
NEWS
BR50: How Berlin could be developed into a world-leading science metropolis In a position paper, the non-university institutions in the capital that are united in Berlin Research 50 formulate 10 demands the strengthen Berlin as a science metropolis.
T-x phase diagram has been created for MAPb(I,Br)3 for the first time. It was revealed that the phase transition temperature of the iodine-rich mixed crystals drops as iodine content increases.
NEWS
Royal Society of Chemistry praises HZB team’s paper on hybrid perovskite... The paper from HZB on hybrid perovskite structures is described as one of the most important contributions in the field of solar energy in recent years.
The illustration shows how the APECS measurement works on a nickel single crystal with an oxidised surface. An X-ray beam ionises atoms, either in the nickel crystal or on the surface. The excited photoelectrons from the surface and from the crystal have slightly different binding energies. The Auger electrons make it possible to determine the origin of the photoelectrons.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Surface analysis at BESSY II: sharper insights into thin-film systems An HZB team at BESSY II has combined two different spectroscopic methods and used a model system to demonstrate how well adjacent thin films can be distinguished.
The bouquet in the colours of her canoe according to the motto: Pink macht flink (Engl. pink makes you nimble)!
NEWS
A warm welcome at HZB for our bronze medal winner Felicia Laberer A warm welcome at HZB on Wednesday 8th September for our medal winner Felicia Laberer
Opened! Bernd Rech (l.) and Christian Rickerts (r.) pressed the symbolic red button to start the Real Lab in Adlershof on 6 September.
NEWS
HZB uses electricity-producing facade wall as real laboratory In the presence of the State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Energy and Operations of the State of Berlin, Christian Rickerts, the HZB officially commissioned the solar façade of a new research building on 6 September 2021. What makes it so special is ...
Bronze for Felicia Laberer! The HZB congratulates warmly on this outstanding achievement!
NEWS
Paralympics: Colleague Felicia Laberer wins bronze medal Our colleague Felicia Laberer wins a bronze medal in canoeing at the Paralympics in Tokyo. At HZB, the 20-year-old is currently an apprentice as an office management assistant.
The Dirac cone is typical for topological insulators and is practically unchanged on all 6 images (ARPES measurements at BESSY II). The blue arrow additionally shows the valence electrons in the volume. The synchrotron light probes both and can thus distinguish the Dirac cone at the surface (electrically conducting) from the three-dimensional volume (insulating).
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Disorder brings out quantum physical talents The material proves to be a topological insulator and is ferromagnetic up to comparatively high temperatures of 50 Kelvin, measurements at BESSY II show. This makes this class of material suitable for quantum bits...
During the operation of conventional battery storage, the tree-like lithium dendrites grow continuously and can pierce the electrically insulating separator layer between anode and cathode. The result: a short circuit and the end of life for the battery.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
On the trail of lithium dendrites: How destructive formations develop in... A group of researchers has taken a look inside lithium batteries and examined in more detail the structures that severely limit the service life of batteries. Their results provide starting points for longer-lasting and safer lithium batteries.
NEWS
HZB Highlight Report 2019/2020 is online Just take a look at our highlight report, in which we briefly present the most important scientific highlights.
At the event, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, emphasised the role of research in solving social problems. The HZB holds a top position in Berlin, he said.
NEWS
Precision measurements lead to breakthroughs: HZB is planning the construction... The polymath Helmholtz still inspires researchers to this day, now notably in the planning of an accelerator-based light source of the latest generation, which HZB is presenting at the event.
NEWS
New issue of "lichtblick" is online New paths in catalysis research, in PhD coordination and much more. Read now a new exciting issue about projects and initiatives from HZB.
The SAM layer between the perovskite semiconductor and the ITO contact consists of a single layer of organic molecules. The mechanisms by which this SAM layer reduces losses can be quantified by measuring the surface photovoltage and photoluminescence.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Perovskite solar cells: Interfacial loss mechanisms revealed Metal-organic perovskite materials promise low-cost and high-performance solar cells. Now a group at HZB managed to de-couple the different effects of self-assembled monolayers of organic molecules (SAMs) that reduce losses at the interfaces.
The VSANS instrument (here in the neutron hall at BER II) will move to Penn State University.
NEWS
Neutron instrument VSANS will move to Penn State University, USA To ensure that the high-quality instruments can continue to be used for research, they are moving to suitable neutron sources in Germany and abroad. Now, another move has been agreed upon.
Resonant X-ray excitation (purple) core excites the oxygen atom within a H2O molecule. This causes ultrafast proton dynamics. The electronic ground state potential surface (bottom) and the bond dynamics is captured by distinct spectral features in resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (right).
NEWS
Review: X-ray scattering methods with synchrotron radiation In the Reviews of Modern Physics, an international team now gives an overview of elastic and inelastic X-ray scattering processes, explains the theoretical background and sheds light on what insights these methods provide.
NEWS
Registration open: HZB Machine Learning Summer School & Hackathon 2021 You will be able to learn from experts how to leverage machine learning to solve problems in the natural sciences and how to apply your knowledge in exciting real-world hackathon projects, all free of charge.
The MX team at BESSY II specialises in analysing protein structures. This can also accelerate the development of drugs against COVID-19.
NEWS
HZB coordinates European collaboration to develop active agents against Corona A team at HZB with partners from Austria and the Czech Republic has set up the NECESSITY project to investigate more than 8000 compounds in a high-throughput procedure and develop active agents against COVID-19.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Green hydrogen: Why do certain catalysts improve in operation? Now a HZB-team headed by Marcel Risch has observed at BESSY II how two simultaneous mechanisms are responsible for this. The catalytic activity of the individual catalysis centres decreases, but the morphology of the catalyst layer also changes.
NACHRICHT
Mehr als nur "Fassade": Nachhaltige Energieversorgung durch Solarfassaden Ein Beitrag über die nachhaltige Energieversorgung durch Solarfassaden.
The development of this speckle pattern over time reveals microsocopic fluctuations in the material.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
When vibrations increase on cooling: Anti-freezing observed An international team has observed an amazing phenomenon in a nickel oxide material during cooling: Instead of freezing, certain fluctuations actually increase as the temperature drops. This is interesting also for high Tc-Superconductor research.
NEWS
Helmholtz anniversary exhibition opens in Potsdam Helmholtz, who was born in Potsdam, is considered one of the most influential natural scientists of his time. 31 August is the 200th anniversary of his birth and we celebrate this with an exhibition.
After about 5 seconds, a thin film of metallic water has formed around the NaK drop, recognisable by the golden shimmer.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Water as a metal - detected at BESSY II Water only develops metallic properties under extreme pressure, such as exists deep inside of large planets. Now, an international collaboration has used a different approach to produce metallic water and documented the phase transition at BESSY II.
Pouch cell Lab
NEWS
Battery research - SkaLiS project funded with 2.2 million euros The SkaLiS project aims to develop lithium-sulphur battery cells that are significantly more stable and powerful.
Fluoride additives increase the quality of the perovskite layer. At BESSY II a team has now explored the chemistry in detail.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Lead-free perovskite solar cells - How fluoride additives improve quality Using a clever combination of measurement methods at BESSY II and with NMR at the Humboldt-University Berlin, they were able to show that fluoride prevents the oxidation of tin and leads to a more homogeneous film formation with fewer defects.
NEWS
Faster development of efficient solar cells and LEDs thanks to HZB spin-off Spin-off launches ready-to-use measurement instrument for optoelectronic devices
We now also offer virtual tours.
NEWS
Virtual visits at HZB and 360° Panorama We open our doors virtually for you and provide insights into the research labs at HZB.
Snapshots of the electronic structure of Sb acquired with femtosecond time-resolution. Note the changing spectral weight above the Fermi energy (EF).
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Future information technologies: Topological materials for ultrafast spintronics Using time- and spin-resolved methods at BESSY II, the physicists explored how, after optical excitation, the complex interplay in the behavior of excited electrons in the bulk and on the surface results in unusual spin dynamics.
Inauguration of the new research building of the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energies (HI ERN) in Erlangen on Wednesday 14.07.2021
NEWS
Hi ERN - New headquarters of the Helmholtz Institute in Erlangen inaugurated Inauguration of Hi ERN new building: Another address for cutting-edge research inaugurated.
NEWS
DAPHNE - Data for Photon and Neutron Experiments 19 scientific institutions in Germany want to develop common standards for software, data exchange and data repositories to make such research data permanently available for further research. HZB is also participating.
In polar regions and at high altitudes the conversion of solar radiation into hydrogen could certainly be worthwhile.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Solar hydrogen for Antarctica - study shows advantages of thermally coupled... A team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Ulm University, and Heidelberg University has now investigated how hydrogen can be produced at the South Pole using sunlight, and which method is the most promising.
DESY researcher Wiebke Ewert shows on a so-called electron density map where a drug candidate (green) binds to the main protease of the corona virus (blue).
NEWS
Synchrotrons accelerate corona research Information by the German Committee Research with Synchrotron Radiation (KFS). Synchrotron light sources were originally built to study particles. Today, they are even used in the fight against COVID-19.
Cover of the Helmholtz Photon Science Roadmap.
NEWS
Tailwind for top research in Germany Tailwind for top research in Germany
VIPERLAB is funded under the European Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (Grant No 101006715).
NEWS
VIPERLAB: EU project aims to boost perovskite solar industry in Europe HZB is coordinating a major European collaborative project to open up new opportunities for the European solar industry. The VIPERLAB project involves 15 renowned research institutions from Europe, as well as Switzerland and Great Britain.
Around the catalytic centre is a group of molecules, the gating domain, which can occupy two different positions.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
BESSY II: universal mechanism of regulation in plant cells discovered In pioneering work, a German-Japanese research team at BESSY II has been able to determine the 3D structure of a metalloprotein that plays an important role as a catalyst in all plant cells. This involves the RNA editosome.
The launch event for the opening of the CatLab took place on 21 June. f.l.t.r.: Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech (HZB), Dr. Stefan Kaufmann (BMBF), Prof. Dr. Robert Schlögl (MPG)
NEWS
CatLab - Starting signal for a new generation of catalysts New joint research platform of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the Max Planck Society starts operation
Using Small-Angle Scattering the early stages of structure formation in precursor solutions of perovskite solar cells have been explored.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Perovskite Solar Cells: Insights into early stages of structure formation Using small-angle scattering at the PTB X-ray beamline of BESSY II, an HZB team was able to experimentally investigate the colloidal chemistry of perovskite precursor solutions used for solar cell production.
The illustration shows two quantum dots "communicating" with each other by exchanging light.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
How quantum dots can "talk" to each other A group at HZB has worked out theoretically how the communication between two quantum dots can be influenced with light. The team led by Annika Bande also shows ways to control the transfer of energy from one quantum dot to another.
Renske van der Veen has a lot of experience with ultrafast x-ray measurements.
NEWS
Renske van der Veen heads new department "Atomic Dynamics in Light-Energy... The chemist is an expert in time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy and electron microscopy and studies catalytic processes that enable the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy.
View into a MOF crystal exemplified by DUT-8. The massive pores are clearly discernible.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
BESSY II: New insights into switchable MOF structures at the MX beamlines A team led by Prof. Dr. Stefan Kaskel, TU Dresden, has now investigated a special class of these MOFs at the MX beamlines of BESSY II. These are "switchable" MOFs that can react to external stimuli.
Orbital hybridization between organic and inorganic components of MAPI perovskite in ground-state geometry.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Perovskite solar cells: Hydrogen bonds measured The evaluation of X-ray measurements on methylammonium perovskite semiconductors now shows what role hydrogen bonds play in these materials.
Prof. Dr. Udo Heinemann works at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and initiated the setting up of the MX beamlines almost 20 years ago. His group contributed more than 250 structures to the Protein Data Bank.
INTERVIEW
“The gain in insights for structural biology has continued for five decades” Prof. Dr. Udo Heinemann works at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine. n an interview, he speaks of the value added by the Protein Data Bank for research today.
NACHRICHT
Hörtipp: Genies – das Vermächtnis von Virchow und Helmholtz Wir möchten Ihnen eine interessante Folge des rbb-Podcast „Talking Science“ empfehlen: Die beiden Universalgenies Rudolf Virchow und Hermann von Helmholtz haben die Wissenschaft am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts geprägt.
CIGS PV modules are integrated into the façade of the HZB testing hall in Berlin-Adlershof. A team analyses the yield and development of the modules under real conditions.
NEWS
Berlin Energy Days: Integrated photovoltaics - active areas for the energy... On Wednesday, 28 April 2021, experts from the HZB advisory office BAIP and other research institutions will present these options.
The first image taken by MYSTIIC: a standard image used to calibrate and measure the resolution of the new STXM.
NEWS
MYSTIIC at BESSY II: New X-ray microscope put into operation A new X-ray microscope has started operation at the Energy Materials in situ Lab (EMIL). It is a scanning transmission X-ray microscope designed to examine both sample surfaces and bulk sample.
From the measurement data, the team was able to determine that the xenon atoms first accumulate on the inner walls of the pores (state 1), before they fill them up (state 2). The X-ray beam penetrates the sample from below.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Direct observation of the ad- and desorption of guest atoms into a mesoporous... Batteries or catalysts are often porous structures with guest atoms. A team from HZB has observed at the PTB X-ray beamline for the first time directly how atoms migrate into a mesoporous model system.
The HZB team was able to determine the photoconductivity in the thin layers of rust using time-resolved microwave measurements; here is a picture of the measurement setup.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Green hydrogen: "Rust" as a photoanode and its limits Metal oxides such as rust are intriguing photoelectrode materials for the production of green hydrogen with sunlight. They are cheap and abundant, but in spite of decades of research, progress has been limited. Why? This study finds out.
NEWS
Virtual tours: Experience the HZB in 360 degrees! Despite Corona, we would like to provide you with insights into HZB. Simply follow our 360-degree tours and experience how we conduct research at the BESSY II accelerator.
Electron density map of the most antiviral active ingredient calpeptin (yellow) binding at the main protease.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
X-ray lightsource at DESY identifies promising candidates for COVID drugs The MX team from HZB examined part of the measurement data with special analysis algorithms in order to identify suitable active substances.
An impression of the placoderm fish living 380 million years ago.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Tomography brings insights into the early evolution of bones A team of palaeontologists has analysed bones in early fish species an discovered bone cells with imaging methods by HZB scientists.
Movie showing the 3D crystal structure as a function of the cell modulation phase. (grey: Pb, brown: Br, black: C, blue: N; white: H)
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
New insights into the structure of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites A team at HZB has used four-dimensional modelling to interpret structural data of methylammonium lead bromide, identifying incommensurable superstructures and modulations of the predominant structure.
NEWS
New issue of "lichtblick" online Many interesting topics await you again, including an interview on VSR-Demo, the results of the home office survey and much more.
Radio TEDDY presenter Leo hosts the "Experimentierkasten" on air and explains everything very simply so that everyone can join in.
NEWS
The Radio TEDDY experimental show with the HZB - tune in on Saturdays at 2.40... The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and Radio TEDDY continue their successful cooperation. In the next round, we will provide ideas for six exciting experiments that the Radio TEDDY moderator Leo will conduct for the children in front of the radio.
A conductive AFM tip is used to scan the sample surface of an a-Si:H/c-Si interface under ultra-high vacuum on the nm scale, revealing the transport channels of the charge carriers via defects in the a-Si:H (red states in the magnified section).
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Solar cells: Losses made visible on the nanoscale Now, for the first time, a team at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the University of Utah, USA, has experimentally shown how such contact layers generate loss currents on the nanometre scale and what their physical origin is.
The new audit logo for long-time certified companies
NEWS
HZB re-certified as a compatibility-friendly company again Not only since the Corona pandemic, HZB has supported its employees in balancing professional and private tasks. Now, HZB has been awarded again: the certificate of the audit berufundfamilie has been confirmed for another three years.
A new instrument at BESSY II can be used to study molybdenum-sulfide thin films that are of interest as catalysts for solar hydrogen production. A light pulse triggers a phase transition from the semiconducting to the metallic phase and thus enhances the catalytic activity.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Instrument at BESSY II shows how light activates MoS2 layers to become catalysts A new instrument at the Helmholtz-Berlin Zentrum’s BESSY II now shows how a light pulse alters the surface properties of the thin film and activates the material as a catalyst.
Electron microscopy shows the graphene sample (gray) in which the helium beam has created a hole pattern so that the density varies periodically. This results in the superposition of vibrational modes and the emergence of a mechanical band gap. The frequency of this phononic system can be adjusted between 50 MHz and 217 MHz by mechanical tension.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
New skills of Graphene: Tunable lattice vibrations A team at Freie Universität Berlin and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin showed a graphene-based phononic crystal whose resonant frequency can be tuned over a broad range and has used a helium-ion microscope to produce such a crystal.
Artificial and natural interzones on a tooth restored with non-degradable biomaterials are exposed to mechanical (left: stresses acting in compression, tension and shear) and biological challenges (right: bacterial attachment, penetration, and other interactions with biological media).
NEWS
Dental materials science: HZB is part of a research project funded by DFG Partners also include the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), a research center for energy materials research, and the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPI-KG), which is located in Potsdam.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Accelerator physics: Experiment reveals new options for synchrotron light... Using this method, specialised synchrotron radiation sources would potentially be able to fill a gap in the arsenal of available light sources and offer a prototype for industrial applications. The work was published in Nature.
Overview: Number of patients treated with prontons at HZB from 1998 to 2020.
NEWS
The 4000th eye tumour patient treated with protons at HZB On 19 February 2021, the 4000th eye tumour patient received irradiation with protons, performed by a joint team from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
The liquid solution of perovskite precursor, solvent, and additive flows from a slit-shaped nozzle onto the glass substrate being conveyed below.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
The perfect recipe for efficient perovskite solar cells hey have improved a process for vertically depositing a solution made from an inexpensive perovskite solute onto a moving substrate below.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
World's first video recording of a space-time crystal With the help of the scanning transmission X-ray microscope MAXYMUS at Bessy II at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, they were able to film the recurring periodic magnetization structure in a crystal.
NEWS
The HZB Graduate Center is here now The HZB "DR coordination” is now the HZB Graduate Center. Since the beginning of 2018, the DR coordination has been continuously expanding the offers and standards at the HZB for doctoral researchers and their advisors. The ideas and suggestions that ...
The electronic structure of complex molecules can be assessed by the method of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) at BESSY II.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
An efficient tool to link X-ray experiments and ab initio theory The evaluation of RIXS data has so far required very long computing times. A team at BESSY II has now developed a new simulation method that greatly accelerates this evaluation.
TEM-Image of a α-SnWO4 film (pink) coated with 20 nm NiOx (green). At the interface of α-SnWO4 and NiOx an additional interfacial layer can be observed.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Solar hydrogen: Photoanodes made of α-SnWO4 promise high efficiencies Combined with theoretical methods, the measurement data reveal the presence of an oxide layer that impairs the efficiency of the photoanode.
The phonons distribution is complex (upper curves) and then simplifies with time to a Gaussian bell curve (lower curve).
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
How complex oscillations in a quantum system simplify with time The experiment took place at the Vienna University of Technology, while the theoretical considerations were carried out by a joint research group from the Freie Universität Berlin and HZB.
Part of the IRIS research labs will be equipped for research on catalysts. Photo
NEWS
HZB and Humboldt University agree to set up a catalysis laboratory The IRIS research building offers optimal conditions for the research and development of complex material systems.
NEWS
Call for Application “Helmholtz young investigator groups” We are looking for young excellent scientists looking for leadership! Apply by Feb. 28.
NACHRICHT
21.01.: Seminar zu klimaneutralem Planen, Bauen und Betreiben Photovoltaik im Gebäudekonzept integrieren | DGNB Seminarreihe Klimaneutrales Planen, Bauen und Betreiben 21.Januar 14:30 - 16:00 Uhr
NEWS
Corona Update 07.01.2021 / restriced operation HZB resumed user operation at BESSY II and CoreLabs under elevated safety precautions. We inform about our hygiene and distancing rules.
For the measurement campaign, two couplers were mounted in a horizontal test position under a local clean room tent.
NEWS
Accelerator Physics: HF-Couplers for bERLinPro prove resilient A first measurement campaign with optimised couplers at bERLinPro shows that the goal can be achieved.
NEWS
December issue of lichtblick Christmas is coming soon. Because we won’t have a get-together this time, cartoonist Jörg Hafemeister has brought Christmas to HZB in his “Wimmelbild”. You will discover many events on the poster that have accompanied us this year.
Martin Bluschke (MPI for Solid State Research, TU Berlin) receives the Ernst Eckhard Koch Prize from Mathias Richter for his outstanding dissertation.
NEWS
Ernst Eckhard Koch Prize and Innovation Award Synchrotron Radiation The Friends of HZB awarded the Ernst Eckhard Koch Prize to Dr. Martin Bluschke. The European Innovation Award for Synchrotron Radiation went to a team of four physicists for their work on the FERMI FEL at Elettra.
Two structure powder diffractometers next to each other: the high structure powder diffractometer SPODI (above) in the MLZ experimental hall will be neighbouring FIREPOD.
NEWS
Two neutron instruments from HZB move to Munich Now the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) in Munich is taking over two scientific instruments from the HZB. The Federal Ministry of Science and Research (BMBF) is funding the relocation and adaptation.
The illustration visualizes the composition of the tandem solar cell.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells on the threshold of 30% efficiency The tandem cell provided stable performance for 300 hours – even without encapsulation. To accomplish this, the group headed by Prof. Steve Albrecht investigated physical processes at the interfaces to improve the transport of the charge carriers.
1st Place: h4a Gessert + Randecker Architekten
NEWS
Architectural Design drafts for new CatLab Center awarded CatLab is to become an international beacon for the development of novel catalyst materials and green hydrogen. After an architectural competition four winning designs have now been selected, all sustainable and climate friendly.
NEWS
CatLab - A beacon for future hydrogen research With CatLab, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and two Max Planck Institutes are building a research platform for catalysis to achieve innovation advances in hydrogen research
Schematic illustration: the solvants (ink) are used to produce a thin film of polycrystalline perovskite.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Perovskite Solar Cells: paving the way for rational ink design for... For the production of perovskite thin-films for large photovoltaic modules often inks are used which contain a mixture of solvents. An HZB team at BESSY II has now analysed how the crystallisation processes within such mixtures.
The tomogram during the charging process shows the spatially resolved changes in the graphite electrode thickness of a rechargeable aluminium ion battery in a discharged and charged state.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
User research at BESSY II: Graphite electrodes for rechargeable batteries... A team of the Technical University of Berlin has investigated at the EDDI Beamline of BESSY II how the morphology of the graphite electrodes changes reversibly during cycling (operando).
The distribution of local pH change (ΔpH) with time in an electrolyte containing 0.5 M K2SO4.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Green hydrogen: buoyancy-driven convection in the electrolyte A team at HZB has now presented a method to visualise convection in the electrolyte and to reliably simulate it in advance with a multiphysics model. The results can support the design and scaling up of this technology.
Nine samples with mixtures from CsPbBr2I (ink 1, left) to pure CsPbI3 (ink 2 right).
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Solar cells: Mapping the landscape of Caesium based inorganic halide perovskites The study provides a quick and easy method to assess new compositions of perovskite materials in order to identify candidates for applications in thin film solar cells and optoelectronic devices.
The Fermi surface of multidomain GeTe (111) bulk single crystal measured with high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission at BESSY II.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Future Information Technologies: Germanium telluride's hidden properties at the... Germanium Telluride is an interesting candidate material for spintronic devices. At BESSY II, a Helmholtz-RSF Joint Research Group has revealed how the spin texture switches by ferroelectric polarization within individual nanodomains.
Structural model of highly porous a-Si:H, which was deposited very quickly, calculated based on measurement data. Densely ordered domains (DOD) are drawn in blue and cavities in red. The grey layer represents the disordered a-Si:H matrix. The round sections show the nanostructures enlarged to atomic resolution (below, Si atoms: grey, Si atoms on the surfaces of the voids: red; H: white)
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Order in the disorder: density fluctuations in amorphous silicon discovered Such a-Si:H thin films have been used for decades in solar cells, TFT displays, and detectors. The results show that three different phases form within the amorphous matrix, which influences the quality and lifetime of the semiconductor layer.
Ultracold atoms in an optical lattice have been considered for quantum simulation.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Modelling shows which quantum systems are suitable for quantum simulations Theoretical physicists have demonstrated a way to simulate the quantum properties of complex solid state systems.
Scalable large area BiVO4 photoanode on FTO with Ni current collectors.
SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT
Solar hydrogen: Let’s consider the stability of photoelectrodes This is the first operando stability study of high-purity BiVO4 photoanodes during the photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER). It shows how the stability of photoelectrodes and catalysts can be compared and enhanced.