News
Europe’s only gallium-oxide semiconductor producer raises €2M
Berlin-based Deeptech Startup NextGO Epi has received funding to become a global leader in next-generation power semiconductors:
NextGO Epi, a Berlin-based deep tech startup spun off from Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ), producing Gallium Oxide epitaxial wafers for next-generation power electronics, has secured a €2 million pre-seed…
New contact material boosts the efficiency of perovskite solar cells
The new carborane-based material improves efficiency and stability; it has since been patented and is already commercially available:
A newly developed material for the electron contact improves the efficiency of single perovskite solar cells and perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. The new material is based on a carborane molecule. It offers…
DFG continues to fund the HU project consortium FAIRmat until the end of 2038
In the new funding period, FAIRmat is placing greater emphasis on AI for data-driven science:
FAIRmat is a consortium for data infrastructure in the materials sciences, which has been coordinated by Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) since its foundation in 2021. It forms part of the National Research Data…
Precision interface chemistry pushes the efficiency of perovskite solar cells
At HySPRINT at the HZB, the optimisation of solar cells will be significantly accelerated in future by autonomous robotic systems:
An international research collaboration has developed a new molecular strategy for controlling one of the most critical interfaces in perovskite solar cells. The resulting solar cells reached a power conversion…
Novel perovskite triple-junction solar cell with 27.3% efficiency developed
The triple-junction solar cell from HZB is not only efficient, but also long-term stable, lightweight and inexpensive:
Perovskite semiconductors efficiently convert sunlight into electrical energy; they are also inexpensive and extremely lightweight. A team at HZB has developed a triple-junction solar cell comprising different…
New world record set for the efficiency of a tandem solar cell
A research team from HU and HZB has succeeded in converting 25.5 per cent of sunlight into electrical energy by combining a CIGSe semiconductor layer with perovskite:
With this record, the Berlin-based team of researchers from the Centre for the Science of Materials Berlin (CSMB) at Humboldt University of Berlin (HU) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has broken its own record…
How storms and insect infestations improve habitats for bison, elk and red deer
HU study shows that increasing disturbances in forests have a positive effect on large herbivores:
A study published in the journal *Nature Ecology & Evolution*, led by Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), shows how forest disturbances can improve habitat quality for large herbivores, in some cases over decades.…
How long do perovskite solar cells last?
Study from the HZB shows which methods are useful for predicting long-term stability and where further research is needed:
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) could conquer the mass market within a few years, perhaps even being produced in Europe. Their large-scale production is highly cost-effective, and unlike silicon solar cells, their…
ASCEND – A New Era in Catalysis
Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär launches €30 million project in Berlin:
On 11 June 2026, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) in Adlershof hosted the launch of ASCEND (Accelerated Solutions for Catalysis using Emerging Nanotechnology and Digital Innovation). The event took place in the…
Humboldt-Universität and quantumReality extend their research collaboration in electrochemistry
Successful Research Collaboration Enters the Next Phase: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Potsdam-based Science VC quantumReality Extend Cooperation to Develop Digital Twins for Electrolysis Plants by Two Years with…
Magnetic field during catalyst synthesis triples ammonia yield
Team at HZB demonstrates a scalable strategy for developing next-generation electrocatalysts for efficient and sustainable chemical production:
Applying an external magnetic field during the synthesis of CoFe₂O₄ electrocatalysts triples the ammonia yield during electrocatalytic conversion. The magnetic field alters the surface states of the spinel oxide thin…
Materials chemistry shapes the future of catalysis
Emerging developments in operando analytics, data-driven discovery and autonomous robotics are transforming synthesis into the central tool for the targeted development of smart and adaptive electrocatalysts:
The synthesis of materials can serve as a tool for developing smart, adaptive electrocatalysts. This rapidly evolving field of research involves in-situ analytics, data-driven discoveries and autonomous robotics.…
Strategic research agenda for safe advanced materials published
Germany's federal agencies responsible for human and environmental safety present research needs from a regulatory perspective:
Advanced materials hold the potential to address global and societal challenges in e.g. health care, energy transition and substituting substances of concern or critical raw materials. However, to fully exploit…
“Support local people in protecting nature around the world”
A study by Humboldt University in Berlin shows that the UN’s nature conservation target could have a direct impact on the lives of almost half the world’s population:
To halt global species extinction, at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and marine areas are to be placed under protection by 2030 and 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems restored, as agreed at the 15th UN…
How intrinsic oxygen shortens the lifespan of solid-state batteries
A study conducted at BESSY II provides valuable information for improving design and handling of solid-state batteries:
Although solid-state batteries (SSBs) demonstrate high performance and are intrinsically safe, their capacity currently declines rapidly. A team from the TU Wien, Humboldt-University Berlin and HZB has now analysed a…
Between Adlershof and Wroclaw
Networked Assets has been working on building Europe’s digital foundations for 20 years:
Networked Assets was founded in Berlin in 2006 out of a highly pragmatic idea. Four freelancers, who frequently collaborated on various projects, realised that their combined skills were greater than the sum of their…
Catalysis App – Structured Research Data for Developing Sustainable Catalysts
The platform enables reliable data sharing and provides a strong foundation for artificial-intelligence-driven analysis:
Catalysis − the reduction of activation energy in a chemical reaction by a catalyst − plays a key role in the chemical industry, as well as in the development of sustainable technologies essential for achieving a…
New calculator supports the planning of electric commercial vehicle fleets
Reiner Lemoine Institute develops an easy-to-use, hands-on service for businesses:
Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI) has released the STELE Calculator, a new online tool designed to help companies plan their fleets of heavy-duty and commercial electric vehicles. For the first time, the tool enables a…
Electrocatalysts: New model for charge separation at the solid-liquid interface
New model describes the processes at the interface for the first time, thereby enabling targeted strategies for material design:
Hydrogen is at the heart of the transition to carbon neutrality, as both an energy carrier and a reagent for green chemistry. However, large-scale production of hydrogen via electrolysis, as well as the production of…
DLR investigates mobility needs in the Lusatian region
Pathways to establishing new public transport services in rural areas:
Around 36% of Germany’s population lives in rural areas, and about 90% of them own at least one car per household, significantly higher than the national average of 80% (infas et al. 2025). Rural areas still lack…