SFB 1073:  Atomic Scale Control of Energy Conversion

• Subject Area: Physics ; Chemistry
• Term: since 2013
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 217133147

The overarching goal of the CRC 1073 is to understand and control the elementary steps of energy conversion in materials with tunable excitations and interactions. Our studies focus on new materials systems and conversion routes that are highly promising for future applications in energy conversion and storage but are at an early stage of scientific discovery. Thus, the CRC is a knowledge-driven research initiative in the area of the physical and chemical sciences that contributes to the microscopic understanding of excitations, thermalization and conversion steps down to the atomic scale.In order to gain control of the elementary energy conversion steps, we work with materials systems, where excitation spectra and excitation interactions can be tuned by materials design or by active control. Three different types of elementary conversion steps are selected, along which we have aligned our projects in three topical areas (A,B,C) so that they form an entire conversion chain: Control of dissipation (A), conversion of optical excitations (B), and photon- and electron driven reactions (C). In the first CRC period, we demonstrated structural and active control tactics in different tuneable materials systems using a number of highly advanced atomic-resolution, ultrafast, spectroscopic and theoretical methods. In the second CRC period, we focused on the most promising systems, i.e. complex oxides, two-dimensional systems and molecular metal complexes, where we have achieved several exciting breakthroughs. In all three selected material systems, a large impact on pathways and efficiencies of energy conversion is found in tuning strongly correlated phases and highly correlated excitations.In the third SFB period starting in July 2021, we aim to develop the new paradigm of control of energy conversion by tunable correlations. To this end, the examples of control by correlations identified in the second period will be substantiated to create a coherent and predictive picture of energy conversion in material systems with strongly correlated excitations. This comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms will result in scientific guidelines for the development of novel technological applications and solutions.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Current projects

• A01 - Friction under active control in systems with tailored degrees of freedom (Project Heads Krüger, Matthias ;  Samwer, Konrad ;  Vink, Richard L.C. ;  Volkert, Cynthia A. )
• A02 - Understanding and manipulating relaxation channels to tailor energy transport (Project Heads Krebs, Hans-Ulrich ;  Moshnyaga, Vasily ;  Münzenberg, Markus ;  Steil, Daniel ;  Ulrichs, Henning )
• A04 - Controlling surface energy dissipation via tailored interface properties (Project Heads Bünermann, Oliver ;  Schneider, Sven ;  Wodtke, Alec Michael )
• A05 - Nanoscopic probing of spatio-temporal relaxation in heterogeneous structures (Project Heads Ropers, Claus ;  Schäfer, Sascha ;  Weitz, R. Thomas )
• B02 - Photon driven energy transfer across correlated interfaces (Project Heads Jooss, Christian ;  Seibt, Michael )
• B03 - Relaxation, thermalization, transport and condensation in highly excited solids (Project Heads Blöchl, Peter E. ;  Kehrein, Stefan ;  Manmana, Salvatore R. ;  Pruschke, Thomas )
• B06 - Real time investigation of light harvesting processes in redox switching oligonuclear charge transfer metal complexes (Project Heads Meyer, Franc ;  Schwarzer, Dirk ;  Techert, Simone )
• B07 - Elementary steps of energy conversion during and subsequent to a strong non-equilibrium excitation in correlated materials (Project Heads Kehrein, Stefan ;  Mathias, Stefan )
• B09 - Transport properties of electron-phonon coupled systems (Project Head Heidrich-Meisner, Fabian )
• B10 - Dissipation control of the (opto-) electronic properties of two-dimensional materials via controlled stacking and twisting (Project Heads Reutzel, Marcel ;  Weitz, R. Thomas )
• C01 - Hybrid assemblies for fundamental studies of photo-induced multi-step charge transfer catalysis (Project Heads Jooss, Christian ;  Meyer, Franc ;  Siewert, Inke )
• C02 - In-situ atomic scale study of active states during (photo-)electrochemical water splitting (Project Heads Jooss, Christian ;  Techert, Simone )
• C03 - From electron transfer to chemical energy storage: first-principles studies of correlated processes (Project Heads Behler, Jörg ;  Blöchl, Peter E. ;  Mata, Ricardo )
• C04 - Study and control of surface photochemistry using a local excitation microscope (Project Heads Ropers, Claus ;  Wenderoth, Martin ;  Wodtke, Alec Michael )
• C05 - Controlling electron-driven chemistry by intercalation (Project Heads Nowak, Carsten ;  Risch, Marcel ;  Volkert, Cynthia A. )
• C07 - Controlling the reactivity of photocatalytic hydride species (Project Heads Schneider, Sven ;  Schwarzer, Dirk ;  Siewert, Inke )
• C08 - Proton-coupled electron transfer reactions at the interface of mixed oxide hydrides (Project Head Siewert, Inke )
• MGK - Integrated Research Training Group (Project Heads Meyer, Franc ;  Volkert, Cynthia A. )
• Z01 - Central tasks of the collaborative research centre (Project Head Jooss, Christian )
• Z02 - Atomic scale control of interfaces (Project Heads Moshnyaga, Vasily ;  Roddatis, Ph.D., Vladimir ;  Seibt, Michael )
• Ö - EnergiSEd – Energy science education (Project Heads Maaß, Mona-Christin ;  Waitz, Thomas )

Completed projects

• A03 - Thermal transport in polymeric nanostructures (Project Heads Müller, Marcus ;  Vana, Philipp )
• A06 - Active control of energy conversion in correlated oxides by spin currents (Project Heads Steil, Daniel ;  Ulrichs, Henning )
• B01 - Photon-induced structural phase transition controlled by electronic correlations (Project Heads Münzenberg, Markus ;  Samwer, Konrad )
• B04 - External field control of photon energy conversion in manganites (Project Heads Damaschke, Bernd ;  Moshnyaga, Vasily )
• B05 - Energy conversion processes underlying the light-powered reversible guest exchange of photochromic coordination cages (Project Heads Clever, Guido ;  Schwarzer, Dirk )
• C06 - Redox reactions of adsorbates at supported catalyst: influence of a buried Schottky contact (Project Head Pundt, Astrid )

• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Participating University: Technische Universität Clausthal
• Participating Institution: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY); Arbeitsgruppe Struktur und Dynamik chemischer Systeme; Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie; Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie; (Karl-Friedrich-Bonhoeffer-Institut) (aufgelöst)
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Christian Jooss