Latest news from Adlershof research institutes

Saskia Vormfelde appointed new Administrative Director at HZB
She is moving from Freiburg ISE to Berlin:
Saskia Vormfelde begins her term of office as Administrative Director at HZB on 1 September. The successful science manager succeeds Thomas Frederking, who retired after 32 years of service at HZB, including 13 years…

DLR researchers publish open-source tool for assessing urban transport connections
Improved access to public transport is one of the United Nations’ sustainable urban development goals:
The United Nations adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. These goals are to be implemented globally in order to promote sustainable peace, prosperity and protection of our planet by 2030. One of…

BR50 and BUA strengthen Berlin as a center of knowledge and innovation
Strategic partnership agreed between Berlin Research 50 (BR50) and Berlin University Alliance (BUA):
On August 18, 2025, Berlin Research 50 (BR50), represented by its chairwoman Prof. Dr. Jutta Allmendinger and deputy chairman Prof. Dr. Thomas Sommer, and the Berlin University Alliance (BUA), represented by its…

IKZ launched four start-up companies in current evaluation period
The start-ups focus on advanced materials, precision instrumentation, and AI-supported data management:
During the evaluation period from 2019 to 2025, the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ) has initiated four spin-offs. These spin-offs are a crucial part of technology transfer, as they translate research…

HZB team investigates lithium-sulphur batteries in real-time
Findings are helpful to design compact Li-S batteries with a high energy density:
Using a non-destructive method, a team at HZB investigated practical lithium-sulphur pouch cells with lean electrolyte for the first time. With operando neutron tomography, they could visualise in real-time how the…

Up to 26,000 electric trucks in Berlin by 2045
Study by Reiner Lemoine Institute and Öko-Institut shows how the electrification of road freight transport can be achieved:
By 2045, up to 26,000 electric trucks with a total electricity demand of up to 430 GWh per year could be registered in Berlin – this corresponds to the annual consumption of around 100,000 households and requires a…

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…

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…
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