Latest news from microsystems technology and materials research

HZB team analyses mesoporous silicon

The modification of the semiconductor promises great potential for technical applications:

Silicon is the best-known semiconductor material. However, controlled nanostructuring drastically alters the material's properties. Using a specially developed etching apparatus, a team at HZB has now produced…

Innovative battery electrode made from tin foam

The material could make lithium batteries more robust and efficient:

Metal-based electrodes in lithium-ion batteries promise significantly higher capacities than conventional graphite electrodes. Unfortunately, they degrade due to mechanical stress during charging and discharging…

IKZ and HU Berlin open Joint Laboratory JAMA

The laboratory offers state-of-the-art infrastructure for research in the fields of solid-state physics and materials science:

The Joint Laboratory for Advanced Magneto-Transport Adlershof (JAMA) was officially opened on January 29, 2025. The new laboratory is a joint project of the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ) and the…

Perovskite solar cells under stress test

Research team identifies thermal stresses as the key to long-term stability:

Perovskite solar cells are highly efficient and low cost in production. However, they still lack stability over the decades under real weather conditions. An international research collaboration led by Prof. Antonio…

Building block of the catalyst for oxygen formation in photosynthesis reproduced

HZB and HU take an important step towards a complete understanding of photosynthesis:

In a small manganese oxide cluster, teams from HZB and HU Berlin have discovered a particularly exciting compound: two high spin manganese centres in two very different oxidation states and. This complex is the…

Leading Sasol scientist appointed as Industrial Research Fellow at HZB

The closer cooperation is intended to accelerate the innovation cycle for sustainable fuel technologies:

Within the CARE-O-SENE project, HZB is cooperating with the South African company Sasol on innovative catalysts for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Now, the collaboration is intensifying: Dr. Denzil Moodley, a…

HZB Sets New World Record for CIGS Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells

CIGS-perovskite tandem cell achieves an efficiency of 26.4 %:

Combining two semiconductor thin films into a tandem solar cell can achieve high efficiencies with a minimal environmental footprint. Teams from HZB and Humboldt University Berlin have now presented a CIGS-perovskite…

New material for extracting carbon dioxide from air and exhaust gases

Quantum chemical calculations by HU enable the development of porous materials distinct by a high adsorption capacity for CO₂:

Climate experts agree: To tackle the climate crisis, we will not only need to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions but also directly filter the harmful gas from air and exhaust gases. To this end, scientists are…

Nanoislands on silicon with switchable topological textures

A team at HZB demonstrates that swirling polar textures can be stabilised and switched:

Nanostructures with specific electromagnetic patterns promise applications in nanoelectronics and future information technologies. However, it is very challenging to control those patterns. Now, a team at HZB examined…

Developing catalysts with robots and AI

Dunia wants to protect Earth from its increasing destruction:

The Adlershof-based start-up Dunia has established a highly systematic approach to material development. A self-repeating cycle in four steps: Design – Make – Test – Analyse. What sets Dunia's approach apart is the…

The molecule splitter

Michelle Brown is working on producing green hydrogen:

Splitting water—using electrical energy to break the H₂O molecule into its gaseous components, hydrogen and oxygen, to be exact. Could this process be made cheaper, simpler, and more efficient? This question has…

Lithium-sulphur pouch cells investigated at BESSY II

HZB team is working on optimising this promising battery type:

A team from HZB and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (IWS) in Dresden has gained new insights into lithium-sulphur pouch cells at the BAMline of BESSY II. Supplemented by analyses in the HZB…

Ferdinand-Braun-Institut presents laser novelties at Photonics West 2025

The Adlershof-based institute develops tailored diode lasers for use in industry, medical and quantum technologies – from chips to prototypes:

At Photonics West 2025 in San Francisco (USA), the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH) will be presenting novel and advanced diode lasers. FBH will be participating in both the trade fair (January 28-30, 2025) and the…

AEMtec and aSpect Systems Join Forces to Expand Technology Portfolio

AEMtec GmbH, a global leader in micro and optoelectronics, is pleased to announce the acquisition of aSpect Systems GmbH, a renowned provider of semiconductor testing solutions. This merger enables both companies to…

Largest magnetic anisotropy of a molecule measured at BESSY II

Using THz-EPR, a special spectroscopy method at BESSY II, magnetic properties of materials can be determined very precisely:

At the Berlin synchrotron radiation source BESSY II, the largest magnetic anisotropy of a single molecule ever measured experimentally has been determined. The larger this anisotropy is, the better a molecule is…