HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM BERLIN FUR MATERIALIEN UND ENERGIE GMBH

Their core work

HZB is a major German research centre operating large-scale photon and neutron facilities — including a synchrotron light source — that enable advanced materials characterization at the atomic level. Their core scientific work focuses on developing next-generation solar cell materials (thin-film, kesterite, perovskite, and tandem devices) and understanding catalytic processes for solar fuels and green chemistry. They provide both in-house research expertise and transnational access to their experimental infrastructure, making them a dual-purpose partner: a materials science powerhouse and a shared research facility for the European scientific community.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), HZB concentrated on improving thin-film solar cell efficiency (CIGS, kesterite absorbers) and contributing to neutron/photon research infrastructure, with exploratory work in diamond photocatalysis and CO2 conversion. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward operando characterization techniques — using their synchrotron capabilities to study electrochemical reactions in real time — and expanded into solar fuels, green ammonia, and electrochemical storage. The recent portfolio also shows diversification into biomedical imaging (bone microstructure) and neuromorphic materials, suggesting HZB is applying its core X-ray techniques to new scientific domains beyond energy.

HZB is evolving from a solar materials lab into an operando characterization hub, applying synchrotron techniques across energy storage, catalysis, and biomedical imaging — expect future projects at the intersection of advanced X-ray methods and electrochemistry.

How they like to work

HZB operates predominantly as a specialist partner (24 of 29 projects), joining large European consortia where their synchrotron facilities and materials expertise fill a critical characterization role. When they coordinate (5 projects), it is typically for focused research where they hold deep domain authority — solar hydrogen demonstration (PECSYS), electrocatalysis mechanisms (ME4OER), or X-ray microscopy methods (NANOMXM). With 249 unique partners across 38 countries, they function as a well-connected infrastructure node: easy to approach, accustomed to multi-partner projects, and experienced in providing transnational access to their facilities.

HZB has collaborated with 249 distinct partners across 38 countries, reflecting a genuinely global network anchored in European research. Their partnerships span universities, national labs, and industry across Western and Eastern Europe, with international cooperation extending to Asia and beyond through projects like INFINITE-CELL.

What sets them apart

HZB combines two assets that are rare to find in a single institution: world-class synchrotron and neutron facilities for in-situ/operando experiments, and deep applied expertise in photovoltaic and solar fuel materials. This means a consortium partner gets both the scientific know-how to design new energy materials AND the large-scale instruments to characterize them under real operating conditions. For anyone building a project around advanced characterization of energy materials — from solar cells to catalysts to batteries — HZB is one of the few European centres that can deliver both the science and the beamtime.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NANOMXM
  Their highest-funded coordinated project (EUR 1.5M ERC grant) developing operando scanning X-ray microscopy for MXene energy storage — represents the convergence of their two core strengths.
• ME4OER
  EUR 1.5M ERC-funded project where HZB coordinates mechanism-level research on water splitting catalysis, marking their shift toward fundamental electrochemistry.
• VIPERLAB
  HZB coordinates a virtual and physical perovskite photovoltaics lab, combining their infrastructure provider role with their PV expertise to create shared research infrastructure for an emerging solar technology.