Science News

A new international study, has revealed insights into the mechanisms underlying radiation damage at the molecular level. The research, published in Nature Chemistry, reveals how extensive, localized water ionization occurs due to the ultrafast processes triggered by core-level ionization of solvated metal ions. more

Researchers from the Interface Science Department at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society conducted experiments using atomically defined model pre-catalysts to unveil intricate details of the electrocatalytic water splitting reaction, targeting the advancement of green H₂ production. more

A team of researchers from the Department of Interface Science at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society addressed the question: what happens to a Ga-promoted Cu surface under reaction conditions required for the synthesis of methanol? They found complex structural transformations of this bimetallic catalyst that might change the common view on the catalytically active surface structure. more

An important building block in achieving climate targets is to develop technologies that can produce synthetic fuels and chemical feedstocks from CO₂ using electricity from renewable sources. In the electrochemical conversion of CO₂, defect structures on catalyst surfaces are believed to have a significant impact on selectivity. Researchers at Kiel University (CAU) and the Department of Interface Science at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society have now shown that atomic rearrangements occur even in the early stages of the reaction. more

Liquid-jet photoelectron spectroscopy allows measurement of the electronic structure of liquids in a vacuum. However, the technique has only been applied to cylindrical liquid jets, whose curvature means measurements must average over the many orientations of surface molecules. more

Scientists of the NOMAD Laboratory at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society recently proposed a workflow that can dramatically accelerate the search for novel materials with improved properties. They demonstrated the power of the approach by identifying more than 50 strongly thermally insulating materials. These can help alleviate the ongoing energy crisis, by allowing for more efficient thermoelectric elements, i.e., devices able to convert otherwise wasted heat into useful electrical voltage. more

Researchers at the NOMAD Laboratory at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society have shed light of the microscopic mechanisms that determine thermal conduction in heat insulators. Through their computational research they have demonstrated that even short lived and microscopically localized defect structures have a substantial impact on macroscopic transport processes. This discovery could contribute to more energy-efficient technologies by allowing for the tailoring of nanoscale thermal insulators through defect engineering. more