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With the aim to precisely understand its function, researchers from the Inorganic Chemistry Department and Interface Science Department of the Fritz Haber Institute, together with colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion investigated the Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst system used for industrial methanol production during reaction conditions. They found that the dynamic, temperature-sensitive nature of the Cu-ZnO interaction is the key to its function – opening up new avenues for rationally improving this process. more

The “Premio Investigación” (Research Award) is annually presented to outstanding scientists in any field whose work is having a global impact extending further from their own scientific discipline. For the year 2025, the prestigious award goes to Prof. Dr. Beatriz Roldan Cuenya, director of the Department of Interface Science at the Fritz Haber Institute, whose groundbreaking research on catalysts for renewable energy-based applications is making a contribution to reducing dependence on fossil fuels. more

Prof. Dr. Melanie Müller, head of the “Ultrafast Scanning Probe Microscopy” research group in the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, has taken up a new professorship for experimental condensed matter physics at the University of Bonn, as of April 1, 2026. more

At this year’s spring block course of the IMPRS-EPPC doctoral program, the PhD students received a hands-on training in the fundamentals of machine learning and lab automation. The workshops took place at the Fritz Haber Institute from March 23 to 26, 2026. more

Led by Dr. Haobo Li, a new Max Planck Partner Group within the Theoretical Department of the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society is being established at the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. This initiative supports the groundbreaking research of this exceptional young scientist in catalysis and sustainable energy, while further deepening her close collaboration with the Fritz Haber Institute. The Fritz Haber Institute and the Max Planck Society will support Dr. Li in developing her Max Planck Partner Group into a dynamic hub within both the Singaporean and international scientific communities. more

Six partners from research and industry, including the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI), BASF, Siemens Energy, Dunia Innovations, and the Technical University Berlin/BasCat are launching a joint project to accelerate catalyst discovery. The German Federal Ministry for Science, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is providing €30 million in funding for the project ASCEND (Accelerated Solutions for Catalysis using Emerging Nanotechnology and Digital Innovation). The research initiative targets the defossilization of energy-intensive industries while safeguarding industrial competitiveness, with a focus on the chemical sector. The five-year project will start on April 1, 2026. more

Researchers in the Inorganic Chemistry Department at the Fritz Haber Institute, together with partners in the National Research Data Infrastructure project FAIRmat, have developed a repository for standardized experimental catalysis data. The platform enables reliable data sharing and provides a strong foundation for artificial-intelligence-driven analysis. more