News
MXene as a frame for 2D water films shows new properties
Research team investigates phase changes of confined water at BESSY II:
An international team led by Dr. Tristan Petit and Prof. Yury Gogotsi has investigated MXene with confined water and ions at BESSY II. In the MXene samples, a transition between localised ice clusters to…
BAM researches more sustainable titanium production from industrial residues in EU project
LTB Lasertechnik Berlin in Adlershof provides support with real-time analysis method:
Titanium metal is a critical raw material that the EU imports largely from Kazakhstan, Russia, and China. The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) is part of a large EU consortium that aims to…
Self assembling monolayer can improve lead-free perovskite solar cells too
At HZB, the performance of non-toxic tin perovskite photovoltaics was increased through targeted molecular design:
Tin perovskite solar cells are not only non-toxic, but also potentially more stable than lead-containing perovskite solar cells. However, they are also significantly less efficient. Now, an international team has…
IKZ successfully attracts increasing research funding from the DFG
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) funds more than 20 projects at IKZ in 2025:
In June 2025, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) published its latest Grant Approval Report for the Leibniz-Association. The report highlights also the success of the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung…
Ten thousand molecules in time
Experiments at Max Born Institute on generating and controling collective vibrations in a liquid:
The ultrafast placement of an electron in a polar liquid generates collective molecular vibrations in a spherical nano-volume. The vibrations change the diameter of this sphere periodically for more than 100…
New method for the mechanical formation of three-dimensional molecular structures
HU researchers develop light-powered nano-motor and use it to create ring-shaped, intertwined molecules:
Threads or ropes can easily be used for braiding, knotting, and weaving. In chemistry, however, processing molecular strands in this way is an almost impossible task. This is because molecules are not only tiny, they…
Perfectly Imperfect: Disorder in Materials Enables Ultra-Fast Charging
Researchers at Humboldt-Universität develop unusual strategy to increase battery performance:
Led by Prof. Dr. Nicola Pinna and Dr. Patrícia Russo from the Department of Chemistry at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), scientists have succeeded in disrupting the atomic order of batteries in a targeted manner.…
Steinbeis funds Erasmus+ project to support Europe's micro businesses adopt environmentally friendly practices
Start on Sustainability (SOS) offers tools and training to reduce the environmental footprint:
The Steinbeis School of Sustainable Innovation and Transformation supports the programme “Start On Sustainability (SOS)” an Erasmus+ project which is executed by the project consortium that consists of Global Impact…
Research team succeeds in controlled formation of skyrmion bags
The complex structures in thin ferromagnetic materials are important for future spintronic devices:
A team of researchers at the Max Born Institute and collaborating institutions has developed a reliable method to create complex magnetic textures, known as skyrmion bags, in thin ferromagnetic films. Skyrmion bags…
CommunitE Innovation project aims to strengthen nationwide citizen energy community
Researchers from the Reiner Lemoine Institute provide advisory support:
Mascha Richter, head of the RLI research unit Transformation of Energy Systems, and Philipp Blechinger, head of the research unit Off-Grid Systems and the Reiner Lemoine Graduate School, are joining the advisory board…
Scrolls from Buddhist shrine virtually unrolled at BESSY II
HZB team used 3D X-ray tomography and AI for non-destructive investigation:
The Mongolian collection of the Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in Berlin contains a unique Gungervaa shrine. Among the objects found inside were three tiny scrolls, wrapped in silk. Using 3D X-ray…
Berlin Science Award goes to Philipp Adelhelm
The materials scientist and electrochemist researches and develops sodium-ion batteries at HU and HZB:
Battery researcher Prof. Dr. Philipp Adelhelm has been awarded the 2024 Berlin Science Award. He is a professor at the Institute of Chemistry at Humboldt University in Berlin (HU) and heads a joint research group at…
Study shows urgent need for reference materials for nanoparticles
BAM and Metrology Research Centre have developed two new nano reference materials:
Whether in electronic components, innovative medicines, or modern environmental analysis, nanomaterials are found in many technologies of the future. Precise reference standards are needed to ensure that they can be…
Advancing time-resolved X-ray science
Novel method gives researchers insight into ultrafast processes and dynamics of materials:
An international team of researchers around IKZ scientist Dr. Peter Gaal has demonstrated a novel approach to time-resolved X-ray diffraction, combining advanced Hadamard timing schemes with a novel device called the…
Targeted elimination of hospital germs
Ferdinand-Braun-Institut developed new far-UVC LEDs against multidrug-resistant organisms:
Newly developed far-UVC LEDs from the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut that are based on the micro-LED concept deliver record-breaking performance. They pave the way for compact, fiber-coupled medical light sources that can…
Staying on the ball
Why Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin's sports campus in Adlershof is being expanded:
With an increasing number of places in sports science courses, the demand for university sports courses is also growing. Because of this, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin is set to expand its Adlershof sports…
A head full of numbers and physics in the heart
Memory athlete Konstantin Skudler on an unusual path between memory palaces and formal logic:
How is it possible to memorise hundreds of numbers in a matter of minutes? And why do emotions help more than sheer discipline? Physicist and memory athlete Konstantin Skudler shares an unusual path between memory…
How quantum particles communicate
Nanophysicist Günter Kewes brings complex physics to life during Berlin’s Long Night of the Sciences:
We owe solar panels, smartphones, MRI scanners, and even supermarket barcode readers to quantum physics. For this reason, the UN General Assembly has declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and…
Hormones, steroids and more
Protein drinks and dietary supplements are in the focus of Landeslabor Berlin-Brandenburg:
Landeslabor Berlin-Brandenburg, the region’s state laboratory, is engaged in regular testing of protein drinks and dietary supplements as part of the German government’s official food control. Inspectors are on the…
Is my child gifted?
From Excel spreadsheets to high-performance sports – how performance diagnostics is changing the way talent is managed:
When Daniel Heidrich’s son was scouted by 1. FC Union Berlin for their youth academy, one key question kept coming up—one for which there were surprisingly few solid answers: Is my child really athletically gifted? As…