Crystals are the hidden pillars in the world of modern technology. Bulk single crystals used as sub-strates enable production of micro- and optoelectronics devices. They founded and continue to shape the basis of virtually all of the technology we constantly use today. However, getting new crys-talline materials to commercial production is extremely challenging as industry demands mature and scalable processes while academia typically cannot provide decade-long development. It is IKZ’s mis-sion to bridge this gap by service and prototyping of crystalline materials, including bulk single crys-tals, in their pre-industrial validation phase. After a short general introduction to the topic and to the IKZ in Berlin-Adlershof, I will highlight the current activities in the Oxide and Fluoride Section, which addresses preparation of bulk single crystals for photonics (optics, lasers, sensors, scintillators) and electronics (semiconductors, piezo- and ferroelectrics, spintronics, magnonics).

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Prof. T.K. Sham will report three case studies: (i) phase transition in TiO2 nanotubes (amorphous to anatase to rutile) tracked with XAS, XEOL and XRD. (ii)  the dynamics at the primary and secondary sites during charging and discharging of Li ion batteries with operando XAS and XES on LiFePO4 cathode and black P anode, respectively. (iii) retrieving clear images from tarnished 19th century daguerreotypes using a tender X-ray microbeam. The implications for a wider application will be discussed.

Location:  Seminar Room WCRC 14.51-3303 ("Aquarium"), Albert-Einstein-Str. 15, 12489 Berlin

Zoom link and credentials for those who are willing to attend online:

https://helmholtz-berlin-de.zoom-x.de/j/67718034128?pwd=N5RaTz6GX68kLW7hLwTSqGOP9ja5m6.1

Meeting ID: 677 1803 4128

Passcode: 496540

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On 28 August from 2 pm, we will be opening our site in Wannsee free of charge to all visitors. You can look forward to fascinating insights into our research, ideas and the people behind them, as well as a varied programme featuring exciting guided tours, informative talks and numerous hands-on and information stands. A wide range of food and drink will be available to keep you refreshed. From 6 pm, we’ll round off the summer’s day together with you, enjoying music in a relaxed atmosphere amidst the greenery.

We look forward to seeing you there!

28 August from 2 pm to 8 pm

Address: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin

Please bring the original of a valid identity document with you when you arrive. Further details about the programme will follow shortly.

We warmly invite users who would like to help us design the signature instruments for BESSY III.

Information, call for abstracts etc: https://events.hifis.net/event/3728/

Research is one way to uncover hidden connections. Art is another. Artist Sarah Dudley visited BESSY II and the Science and Technology Park Adlershof and had a series of in-depth conversations with researchers.

“Through paintings and sculptures I give form to immaterial forces that shape our lives.

My intuitive visual language draws upon current research in cosmology, physics, and mythology.” Sarah Dudley.

Inspired by these visits, Sarah created a series of paintings which we are pleased to exhibit in the BESSY II foyer. Her works are an artistic exploration of what lies beyond human perception.

Artist Talk: Monday, 21st September, 2026 at 5 pm

With the kind support of the Friends of the Helmholtz Centre Berlin e.V.

It is our pleasure to invite you to Berlin for the 7th International Sodium Battery Symposium, SBS-7.

In recent years, we have witnessed rapidly growing global interest in sodium batteries, driven by their increasing adoption in electric vehicles, power tools, and stationary energy storage systems.

It is therefore our great pleasure to invite you to Berlin for the 7th International Sodium Battery Symposium (SBS-7). Alternating biennially with our colleagues from IKTS in Dresden, the Sodium Battery Symposium has become a key meeting point for researchers and industry leaders in this field.

From macroscopic materials down to individual macromolecules, modern infrared (IR) spectroscopy now spans vast spatial scales. Given the immense scope and recent breakthroughs in near-field nano-IR we are pleased to announce a workshop focused exclusively on the current capabilities of modern IR spectroscopy. Organized in collaboration with HU the workshop will take place as a "satellite" meeting of the annual meeting "Make and Measure: Interfaces 2026" making it easy to attend both of these closely related events within a single week.

By bringing together experts across multi-scale dimensions, we aim to bridge the gap between macroscopic material analysis and nano-scale breakthroughs, promoting the application of the modern IR techniques by the scientific community.

We are living in times of social polarisation. Anti-democratic tendencies, rejection of scientific expertise and hostility towards scientists are on the rise. Many people are asking themselves: What can I actually do? And what responsibility do scientific institutions bear? We want to discuss these questions together with experts from the fields of science and science communication, as well as HZB’s scientific director.

📅 28 September 2026, 1.00–3.00 pm

📍 In person: BESSY Lecture Theatre, Helmholtz Centre Berlin, Albert-Einstein-Straße 15, 12489 Berlin

💻 Alternatively, online participation is also possible. Registered participants will receive the login details by email in good time before the event.

An event organised by HZB with the support of BR50 and IGAFA

International conference dedicated to revealing dynamic functional interfaces through operando and in situ characterization. Bringing together leading researchers advancing interface science through experiment, theory, and materials design, ONI provides a unique forum to advance atomic- and molecular-scale understanding of dynamic interfaces in catalysis, electrochemistry, batteries, and energy materials.

The scientific program features keynote lectures, invited and contributed talks, poster sessions, and a roundtable discussion moderated by Nature Catalysis, where leading researchers will discuss emerging scientific challenges and future directions in operando nanoscale science. Complementing the scientific program, a second high-level roundtable discussion will bring together representatives from academia, industry, and public policy to explore how science and innovation can accelerate the global energy transition. 

With the series of annual user meetings, we bring together our user community to intensify scientific exchange and stimulating new collaborations. The meetings will provide an overview of the many exciting and inspiring research results obtained at our facility in the past year and will emphasize on future developments in particular on BESSY III. Plenary talks, discussions, a public lecture, the market place of innovation and a poster session will provide vast possibilities of information and discussion. The bestowals of the 'Prizes for Young Scientists' donated by the Freundeskreis Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin e.V. (FHZB) are traditional highlights of the user meetings.