By Ivona Kafedjiska. The doctoral researchers at HZB who are working in the field of solar cells might all have different research interests and varying educational backgrounds, but we all agree on one point: attending the QUANTSOL summer school in Hirschegg, Austria is a must.Read More →
by summerstudent Oscar Moreno As a master’s student in chemistry, experiments are the basis of my research. The excitement of running an experiment for the first time and the challenge of trying to explain the results keeps me motivated. Nonetheless, in order to pursue things further, my investigation forced me to work during weekends and many times I found myself preparing reports in my room at midnight. I was not aware my acacemic life had come out of the laboratory and was encroaching on other aspects of my life until one of my advisors stopped me. After seeing me working on Saturdays without pausing, heRead More →
by summerstudent Nora Jung Sitting in my organic chemistry class two semesters ago, I heard the whispers of a word repeated often amongst my classmates. I was only in my second year of my undergrad and the pressure of finding a research position was a constant reminder in the back of my head. In January of 2022, I applied for the summer research position at HZB and it felt like a step in the right direction, but I was still unsure about what lay ahead. What does it mean to do research? Am I qualified enough? Will I know the right answers?Read More →
Recently, Lightsources.org asked scientists at light source facilities from all over the world to record a short video statement, pointing out why and how synchrotron light is useful for their research. The outreach campaign is featuring the variety of research done at light sources in a comprehensible way, easy to understand by all citizens. HZB chemist Marion Flatken took part. She is doing her doctorate on perovskite materials for solar cells in Antonio Abate’s team. Why did you take part in the #LightSourceSelfie campaign? For me it’s important to make transparent how we work in research. Actually, this is also in the spirit of HermannRead More →
When one enters the Lab 120 in the Silicon Photovoltaics institute, the first view of it is this: It was kind of a shock to see all these “hands” floating in the air. They reminded me of an astronaut’s space suit. A very interesting tool, which I was very excited to use. One mission: getting the hands into the glove box A glove box is a device permitting you to do experiments in a different atmosphere as outside. Itis very useful if you work with toxic chemicals like here in the Silicon Photovoltaics Institute. As you handle everything with gloves and it is closed soRead More →
Many colleagues work on site, others continue to work from home. These different working environments will continue to accompany us in the coming weeks. Therefore, we will introduce people telling us what it means to be back in the lab as well as people who continue working from home. Today we ask Rowshanak Irani, postdoctoral researcher at the HZB Solar Fuels Institute based in Wannsee. How did you start the lockdown period? I was lucky, as I had my PhD viva a few weeks before the lockdown. At HZB when you do your PhD in three years you get a contract extension for six months;Read More →
I work at the EMIL beamline which is a very complex system. It provides light for the EMIL laboratory (Energy Materials In-situ Laboratory Berlin) by combining two undulators: UE48 for the soft X-ray range and cryo-cooled U17 for the hard X-ray range. It delivers an energy range from 80 eV to 10000 eV to five end-stations. It has ten mirror chambers to guide the light and three monochromators to select the required energies, and it has a length of 62 m while only 1 m width.Read More →
Each beamline at BESSY II has a dedicated beamline scientist. But who are they? In this little series you are going to find out.Read More →
Thermoplastic ionomer materials such as Nafion do have many talents: they can be used as membranes for proton exchange in fuel cells, but they have also attracted attention as shape memory materials: Via external stimuli such as heat or an electric field, it is possible to trigger a change in shapes. Applications in textiles, biomedicine, aerospace, sensors and coatings are possible. Nafion: a membrane with shape memory Nafion is one of those materials: as a membrane in a fuel cell, its high proton conductivity allows a fast pass of hydrogen ions (protons). And its internal shape plays a crucial role. Now a team from Brazil hasRead More →
Far-sighted hydrogen economy During one of the winter nights, while talking in the interior of Granite House, “well lighted with candles, well warmed with coal, after a good dinner”, the settlers of Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island were discussing about the fact that the coal will be entirely consumed. After a roughly estimation, Cyrus Harding, an engineer of great capabilities, concluded that it would happen “for at least two hundred and fifty or three hundred years.” To everyone’s surprise, when he was asked what they will burn instead of coal, he said: “Water”. “Water” cried Pencroft, “water as a fuel for steamers and engines! water toRead More →