ISC News

Researchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI) have uncovered how carbonate molecules affect the conversion of CO₂ into valuable fuels on gold electrocatalysts. Their findings reveal key molecular mechanisms in CO₂ electrocatalysis and hydrogen evolution, pointing to new strategies for improving energy efficiency and reaction selectivity. more

Four scientists from the Fritz Haber Institute are on the list of Highly Cited Researchers 2025 published by Clarivate Analytics: the Director of the Interface Science Department, Prof. Beatriz Roldán Cuenya; two group leaders of the same Department, Dr. Janis Timoshenko and Dr. Arno Bergmann, and former Director Prof. Robert Schlögl. This result underscores the FHI’s internationally leading role in physics, chemistry, and materials science. more

Antonia Herzog, who completed her PhD in the Interface Science department in 2023, has been appointed as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) after two years of postdoctoral studies at MIT. With her success story, the young scientist is encouraging women in science to pursue an academic career. more

The Fritz Haber Institute is very pleased to welcome Prof. Tanja Cuk from the University of Colorado Boulder for a research stay at the institute as part of her Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award. The internationally renowned spectroscopist will be hosted by the departments of Prof. Beatriz Roldan Cuenya and Prof. Martin Wolf from August to December 2025. more

At the Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) in Mainz in September 2025, Prof. Dr. Beatriz Roldan Cuenya, our Managing Director and Director of the Interface Science Department, was ceremonially inducted into the ranks of ISE Fellows.  more

Researchers from the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society have unveiled new insights into the activity of catalysts used in green hydrogen production. Their study, published in Nature Chemistry, explores how the catalyst kinetics are related to an intricate interplay between interfacial solvent and chemical changes on the catalyst surface, potentially paving the way for more efficient energy conversion technologies. more

Scientists from the Interface Science Department at the Fritz Haber Institute have studied how applying pulsed electric potential treatments to copper single crystal surfaces as model catalysts can improve their ability to convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) into fuels like ethylene and ethanol. The key to achieve selectivity tunability relies in the control of the pulsed-induced structural and chemical catalyst transformations. This research offers insights which could help to reduce CO₂ emissions and producing renewable energy sources. more

Dr. Eduardo Ortega from the Interface Science Department won a Postdoc Award for the presentation of his research at this year’s Microscopy & Microanalysis Meeting in Salt Lake City. His work was selected from hundreds of submissions at the world's largest meeting on microscopy and microanalysis. more

At the celebrations of the DAAD's 100th anniversary, Dr. Roey Ben David, postdoctoral researcher at the Interface Science Department holding a DAAD scholarship, had the unique opportunity to exchange ideas with DAAD President Prof. Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee and Foreign Minister Dr. Johann Wadephul. more

Four scientists from the Fritz Haber Institute attended the 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Chemistry, held from June 29 to July 4, 2025. The event featured 33 Nobel Laureates and over 600 young scientists worldwide. more

Researchers from the Interface Science Department (ISC) of the Fritz Haber Institute and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have provided insight into the significant morphological changes that Cu surfaces undergo during the electrochemical reduction of CO₂, which influences the type of products formed. This combined theory (UCLA)-experimental ISC-FHI) study highlights the importance of specific surface defects, that are created and transformed in the course of the reaction, for enhancing the efficiency of CO₂ conversion into industrially valuable chemicals. more

The Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society is thrilled to announce that our Managing Director and Director of the Interface Science Department, Prof. Dr. Beatriz Roldán Cuenya, has been honored with the prestigious title of Fellow of The International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) for the year 2025.
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