News Archive

New X-ray microscope put into operation at BESSY II

MYSTIIC offers higher precision and more options for scanning surfaces and investigating bulk samples in transmission:

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. With the soft X-ray…

Direct observation of the ad- and desorption of guest atoms into a mesoporous host

Research at the PTB X-ray beamline of the HZB BESSY II synchrotron lays the foundations for new insights into energy materials:

Battery electrodes, storage devices for gases, and some catalyst materials have tiny functional pores that can accommodate atoms, ions, and molecules. How these guest atoms are absorbed into or released from the pores…

BAM researches the risks of tiny polymer particles

The toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics is being investigated in two large EU projects:

Particularly fibrous particles of micro- and nanoplastics are suspected of being harmful. They enter the human body via the air we breathe or the food we eat. Initial data indicate that they could lead to irritation…

Real-time optical distance sensing of up-conversion nanoparticles with a precision of 2.8 nanometers

Team of researchers demonstrated ultra-precise localization and tracking of fluorescent nanoparticles:

Sub-diffraction limited localization of fluorescent emitters is a major goal of microscopy imaging. It is of key importance for so-called super-resolution, a technique that was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in…

New DFG project on neuromorphic applications of ferroelectric layers

IKZ researchers investigate the relationship between structural and electrical changes during switching of ferroelectric layers:

Ferroelectric films are used for a variety of technological applications, such as non-volatile memory devices or ferroelectric field effect transistors (FeFETs). These applications exploit their property of exhibiting…

Change in the Management of the Forschungsverbund Berlin

Dr. Manuela Urban left the FVB / Dr. Falk Fabich steps in as Acting Managing Director:

Dr. Falk Fabich will step in as Acting Managing Director of the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB) – from April 13, 2021 until a successor has been found for the position, by December 31, 2021 at the latest. This has…

LTB strengthens its Research and Development department

With Dr. Lutz Pfeifer as the new Head of Research Spectroscopy, and Norman Bensmann as the new Head of Laser Development, the company is realigning itself:

Managing Director Christian Scholz: “We want to spread the growing scope and requirements of the departments over several shoulders. In recent years, we have grown steadily in both areas. In order to do justice to the…

BAM certifies the world's first reference materials for the determination of the fluorescence quantum yield

Twelve certified reference materials allow reliable and comparable characterization:

Fluorescent materials are used in many areas today: on the security codes of banknotes, in plasma screens or in medical diagnostics. The crucial factor here is that the materials luminesce intensively over a long…

Topological protection versus degree of entanglement of two-photon light in photonic topological insulators

Researchers from HU, MBI, and the University of Central Florida (USA) have identified criteria for robust transport:

Originally discovered in condensed matter systems, topological insulators are two-dimensional materials that support scattering-free (uni-directional) transport along their edges, even in the presence of defects and…

FBH presents advances in UV LEDs towards application at ICULTA conference

From disinfection to use against pathogens on human skin:

The Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH) presents current research results at the virtual ICULTA 2021. In particular, the reliability of UVB and UVC LEDs has been significantly improved – an important step towards their…

New insights into the structure of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites

Team at HZB has analysed structural data of photovoltaic materials with a novel model:

In photovoltaics, organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have made a rapid career. But many questions about the crystalline structure of this surprisingly complex class of materials remain unanswered. Now, a team at HZB…

Berlin Adlershof: Facts and Figures

The Berlin Adlershof Science City is one of the most successful high-technology sites in Germany and Berlin’s largest media site. It is home to 1,200 companies and scientific institutions on an area of 4.6 km² –…

Bundling unique European expertise for spaceborne devices

Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, SweGaN AB, and University of Bristol are partnering in the Kassiopeia project to develop high-performance Ka-band GaN MMICs e.g. for satellite communications and radar applications:

Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, SweGaN AB, and University of Bristol are partnering in the European Space Agency funded Kassiopeia project. The teams join forces to develop high-performance Ka-band GaN MMICs (monolithic…

New 785 nm DFB laser in TO-5 package

TOPTICA eagleyard presents a new chip generation with high performance and excellent signal-to-noise ratio:

At this year's virtual Photonics West, TOPTICA eagleyard presented the DFB-785 laser diode, a chip relaunch based on proven DFB technology. The DFB laser diode delivers 100 mW output power. It provides excellent…

Detection of anisotropy in the optical constants of quartz crystals for soft X-rays

In the PTB, methods for determining the optical constants of materials with synchrotron radiation have been established:

Quartz is an important substrate material for semiconductor structures and is used in a wide variety of industrial fields, for example as a substrate for various mirrors, nanostructures or other functional surfaces…

Solar cells: Losses made visible on the nanoscale

Researchers from HZB and University of Utah, USA, have shown how contact layers of silicon solar cells generate loss currents and what their physical origin is:

Solar cells made of crystalline silicon achieve peak efficiencies, especially in combination with selective contacts made of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). However, their efficiency is limited by losses in these contact…

GILUPI and SCIENION announce Collaboration for the Development of Single-Cell CTC Analysis

GILUPI GmbH and SCIENION AG announced that the companies intend to intensify their collaboration in the field of single circulating tumor cell (CTC) analysis. CTCs are rare cells that can be found in the peripheral…

HZB re-certified as a compatibility-friendly company again

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has been awarded the seal of quality for its corporate compatibility policy since 2011:

HZB has been certified as a family-friendly employer since 2011. Now the research centre has successfully completed the re-auditing process and developed further measures to promote a life phase conscious working…

HZB team researches inexpensive catalysts for the production of hydrogen

With a new instrument at BESSY II, they show how light activates MoS₂ layers to become catalysts:

Thin films of molybdenum and sulfur belong to a class of materials that can be considered for use as photocatalysts. Inexpensive catalysts such as these are needed to produce hydrogen as a fuel using solar energy.…

Terahertz waves from electrons oscillating in liquid water

Researchers at Max-Born-Institute have observed radiation in the terahertz range which is initiated during the electron localization process:

Ionization of water molecules by light generates free electrons in liquid water. After generation, the so-called solvated electron is formed, a localized electron surrounded by a shell of water molecules. In the…