News
13.03.2025Superconductors on Stage: Science Slam with PhD student Isa
How do electrons connect to each other in a solid? Why are low temperatures the key to a successful “relationship” between them? And what does all this have to do with the future of energy technology? These questions were answered in engaging and entertaining 10 minutes at the Science Slam by our PhD student Isa.
Last Tuesday, Isa gave a creative presentation on the topic of superconductivity and explained the phenomenon of Cooper pairs - presented as a dating coach for electrons.
The presentation was met with great enthusiasm from the audience and showed once again that science can not only be fascinating, but also entertaining. We congratulate Isa on this successful performance and look forward to further creative contributions to science communication from our working group!
If you also want to know what happens in the “dating life” of electrons, here are the first Early-Bird tickets for the Science Slam of the University of Duisburg on October 30, 2025!
28.01.2025Register now! - Seminar on phase transitions
The Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation invites you to participate in the seminar “Synergistic Mechanisms in Displacive Phase Transitions: From Charge Density Wave Systems to Engineering Materials”, which will take place in Bad Honnef from April 27 to 30, 2025. The seminar is organized by Prof. Gabi Schierning, among others.
The seminar is dedicated to current research results on displacive phase transitions and covers a wide range of topics - from fundamental concepts such as charge density waves to applications in shape memory alloys and engineering materials. Renowned scientists will present interdisciplinary approaches that combine physics and materials science. The aim is to promote the exchange between theory, experiment and applied research.
Interested scientists and young researchers are cordially invited to apply and become part of this exciting event. Registration is still possible until February 9, 2025.
Further information and registration:
Click here for the event
20.01.2025Excursion to the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Center
This week, part of the Schierning working group and a group of students were welcomed by the ZBT, the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Center, on the Duisburg campus. There, we were given an introduction to the research on hydrogen, fuel cells and electrolysis and their influence on a more sustainable future.
We were allowed to take a look at the newly renovated laboratories and the fuel cell experiments installed there. The cold temperatures didn't stop us from taking a guided tour of the test field, where there are several hydrogen storage tanks and even a hydrogen filling station for vehicles!
We thank Theresa Schredelseker and the rest of the ZBT team for the insights and the successful excursion!
15.01.2025Two new team members!
We are delighted that two more women are joining our team!
Isa Kleine-Bekel (left) studied physics at Bielefeld University and is now starting as a PhD student in January. During her PhD, she will focus on research of electronic processes that contribute to microstructure formation in alloys and science communication. She will be developing various outreach projects to make science accessible to a larger audience.
Dr. Klara Lünser (right) is a materials scientist, has a PhD on martensitic microstructures in shape memory alloys and joins us in Duisburg after a postdoc at the University of Barcelona. In December, she took over the leadership of the third research group at AG Schierning as a research associate. This group is focused on the dynamics and electronic instabilities of phase transitions.
Welcome to the group!
17.12.2024Christmas Party 2024
This year’s Christmas party was a memorable blend of culture and festive cheer. We kicked off the celebration with a visit to the stunning Landschaftspark Nord in Duisburg, soaking in the industrial beauty and legacy of the site. We learned how pig iron was produced in the Thyssen blast furnace plant from 1901 to 1985. A brief stop at the beautiful Duisburg Christmas market added to the holiday spirit. The evening continued with a delicious mediterran buffet at the NETZ building, where we enjoyed great food and even better company. A perfect way to celebrate the holiday season!
24.10.2024Excursion: Between electrical contacts and glass fiber
This month, our excursion took us to Hanau – an exciting deep dive into the world of Heraeus Electronics and Heraeus Conamic. At Heraeus Electronics, participants were introduced to the cutting-edge innovation of sinter pastes, which enable conductive connections between electronic components without using bonding wires. Silver-sintered pastes provide a robust alternative to soldering paste, extending the lifespan of devices by up to 10 times. For this groundbreaking technology, Heraeus received the prestigious Heraeus Award! Heraeus Electronics is also renowned for its high-quality bonding wires. These undergo multiple stages of processing, including drawing, heating, and cleaning, before being rigorously tested to ensure top quality.
A highlight of the trip was the visit to Heraeus Conamic, where participants experienced the fascinating process of high-purity quartz glass production firsthand. Refined quartz sand is melted in a refractory metal crucible; the liquid material is then extruded and precisely shaped into rods, tubes, or plates. The chemical purity of this glass is astounding: even at a thickness of 100 meters, visibility remains crystal clear. Additional standout qualities include high softening temperature, thermal stability, and low thermal expansion, making Heraeus Conamic glass essential for demanding applications in semiconductor manufacturing, medical laser systems, and beyond – an impressive showcase of German high-tech!
We would like to thank Mrs Sahra Berli and Mr Thorsten Jenek, as well as everyone else involved, for the informative, great insights and the all-round friendly atmosphere and hospitality!
13.10-16.10.2024Seminar of the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation
In mid-October, part of our working group attended the 819th seminar of the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation. The seminar took place at the Physics Centre in Bad Honnef on the topic of ‘Transverse Effects in Thermoelectric Systems’. With a total of 15 invited speakers from three different continents and contributions from theory, material synthesis and characterisation as well as device fabrication and integration, the seminar was an interdisciplinary stage, which we used to present our research results and realise new collaborations. For some of us, it was a great reunion with many colleagues from the thermoelectrics community.
01.10.2024We have a new scholarship holder!
Maryam Shojaei is our new scholarship holder! She is an expert in scanning electron microscopy and studied materials science and engineering in Iran. During her one-year scholarship, she will work on the production and thermoelectric characterisation of nanomaterials.
30.09-02.10.2024Teilnahme am ersten RC FEMS Retreat
Our working group took part in the first retreat of the Research Centre Future Energy Materials and Systems (RC FEMS) in Gladbeck at the end of September. The event provided an excellent opportunity to present our current research work to RC FEMS researchers and receive valuable feedback.
During the three days, we engaged in intensive dialogue with scientists from various disciplines. Current topics in materials and energy research were highlighted in inspiring presentations and lively discussions. The interdisciplinary approach enabled us to gain new perspectives and develop innovative ideas for our own work.
The workshops and poster sessions were particularly enriching, providing space for detailed technical discussions. We were able to take the first steps towards future collaborations and look forward to deepening these partnerships in the near future.
In addition to the professional exchange, joint activities created a pleasant atmosphere and strengthened the team spirit. We are grateful for the excellent organisation of this successful event and look forward to further collaboration within the RC FEMS.
24.09-26.09.2024MSE 2024 Darmstadt
At the end of September, part of our research group took part in Material Science Engineering (MSE) 2024 in Darmstadt. There they had the opportunity to present their research work and latest findings, including topics ranging from crystal growth synthesis to electrical and thermal characterisation of novel materials. The conference provided an excellent platform to not only learn about current trends in materials science and explore possible joint research projects, but also to gain insights from an industrial perspective, especially about the latest technical measurement tools. Besides all the great experiences, we also had a lot of fun!
MCIC 2024 BochumMCIC 2024
This Thursday the 6th Materials Chain International Conference (MCIC 2024) took place at the Ruhr University in Bochum (RUB) with the topic ‘Inorganic Functional Materials: Developments and Applications for Advanced Technologies’, where Gabi was an invited speaker and talked about the physics of charge density waves in shape memory alloys.
Further information on the conference
Click here for the Ruhr Alianz contribution
Click here for the RUB contribution
29.08.2024Poster prize for Niklas!
At this year's ESOMAT conference, our PhD student Niklas was honoured with the poster prize for his presentation on the ‘Investigation of martensitic phase transitions in nickel-copper-titanium intermetallic phases’. His work investigated the influence of copper substitution on the phase transitions in shape memory alloys, with the results providing new insights into the electronic properties of the materials. Congratulations to Niklas for this outstanding achievement!
26.08-30.08.2024ESOMAT 2024
Last week in August, members of our group attended the European Symposium on Martensitic Transformations (ESOMAT) in Lecco, Italy. This prestigious event, established in 1989, continues to be an important platform for researchers working on martensitic phenomena, shape memory alloys and superelasticity. Gabi opened the event with a plenary lecture, while Alexander, Tiemon and Niklas presented posters. The beautiful alpine scenery and the stimulating discussions led to promising co-operation ideas and new research directions.
15.08.2024We have a new PhD student!
We are happy to welcome Torben Tappe as a new member of our research group. Torben completed his Bachelor and Master in Physics at Bielefeld University, with a focus on nanoscience. As a PhD student, he will focus on the investigation of possible electronic causes of hydrogen embrittlement. We warmly welcome Torben and look forward to working with him!
21.07-25.07.2024ECCG8 in Warsaw
The eighth European Conference on Crystal Growth (ECCG8) took place in Warsaw at the end of July this year. This year, Alexander and Timon presented their current research in the poster session. In addition to the scientific exchange, there were also numerous opportunities to network within the community.
20.06.2024Excursion: Magnetic materials and applications
On Thursday, 20 June 2024, we were able to go on another excursion to Hanau on the topic: Magnetic materials and applications! In the morning, we visited the Fraunhofer Institute for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategy IWKS in Hanau. Here we learnt about the current state of research and development on the topic of "Recycling permanent magnets" and got a very good impression during a guided tour of the laboratory. It was exciting to see how permanent magnets are removed from various applications such as electric motors or wind turbines (in some cases using robots) and recycled using different strategies. The topic of the criticality of elements was also discussed.
In the afternoon, the tour continued to Magnotherm in Darmstadt. Magnotherm GmbH is a very young company: a start-up founded by former doctoral students from TU Darmstadt. They develop refrigerators that cool using the magnetocaloric effect. Here we learnt the basics about magnetocalorics, but also about founding a company and working in such a dynamic environment. The highlight was magnetocaloric cooled drinks!
Many thanks to Mr Schönfeldt and Mr Opelt at Fraunhofer IWKS and Mr Gutfleisch and Ms von Oesterreich at Magnotherm for the great excursion!
To the LinkedIn post from the Functional Materials of TU Darmstadt
23.05.2024Excursion: Materials and system solutions for electrocatalysis
During our excursion to the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT (Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology), we got to know the inner workings of electrolysers and the manufacturing and characterisation challenges involved in their development. Exciting topics included not only the production of green hydrogen, but also the treatment of industrial waste gases, including the treatment of CO2 in these waste gases. We would like to thank Prof Apfel for the great insights!
19.05-24.05.2024AT-RASC 2024
Greetings from Gran Canaria! Our PhD student Michael Staiger was in Gran Canaria in the week around Whitsun at the conference of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI for short). He had the chance to present parts of his master thesis to an expert audience on 20 May.
14.05.2024Excursion to Grevenbroich to Windtest Grevenbroich GmbH
In mid-May, we were able to take part in another exciting excursion organised by Prof. Dieter Brillert and the Chair of Fluid Mechanics. We travelled to the wind energy test field in Grevenbroich. Windtest Grevenbroich GmbH gave us an exciting insight into their services relating to wind turbines, including measurements and technical expertise. We were particularly impressed by the company's active role in research and development, especially in the areas of design, sensor technology, condition monitoring and grid integration of wind turbines. One of the highlights of the excursion was a look inside a wind turbine!
13.05.2024A lecture in a slightly different setting!
This Monday, Prof Gabi Schierning opened the Pint of Science Festival in Duisburg and Essen with her lecture. The Pint of Science Festival brings science into pubs and aims to increase communication between researchers and non-researchers. In Duisburg, the festival takes place in the Finkenkrug. In her presentation, Gabi took stock of the current state of the energy transition and what materials we will need in the future for the energy transition.
03.05.2024Excursion to Bremerhaven to the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems
At the beginning of May this year, we were given an exclusive insight into research at the Frauenhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems in Bremerhaven. During the excursion, the participants learnt about the latest technologies and developments in wind energy and direct conversion. The experience gave the students a valuable insight into industrial research on the one hand and the future technology of renewable energies on the other. It was particularly impressive to see the combination of wind turbine (8 MW!) and electrolyser for the direct conversion of wind energy into hydrogen. Here we learnt what considerable research is still needed for this technology.
01.04.2024We have a new scholarship holder!
Hamta Mansouri is our new scholarship holder! She studied materials science and metallurgy in Iran and will be working on the transport properties of agglomerated nanoparticles made from recycled silicon during her one-year scholarship.
15.03.2024Susanne Kunzmann's first paper is published!
Susanne Kunzmann has published her first paper! The paper provides new insights into the energy landscape of niobium-based materials, including a previously overlooked local energy minimum on the transition path from the bcc phase to the omega phase. High-throughput simulations confirm a stabilisation of the sigma phase by tantalum substitution.
Zur Veröffentlichung:
Ab initio study of transition paths between (meta)stable phases of Nb and Ta-substituted Nb
26.02-29.02.2024DPG Spring Conference
Our doctoral students Inci Sahin and Susanne Kunzmann attended the spring conference of the German Physical Society (DPG) this year and had a lively exchange with other researchers. As part of INNOMAG e.V., Inci had the opportunity to present the topic of her Master's thesis at the DPG.
29.02.2024Excursion to Hanau
At the end of February this year, we were given an exclusive insight into the production of superconducting cables at Bruker AES GmbH in Hanau. During the excursion, the participants learnt about the latest technologies and process steps used to manufacture superconducting cables. The experience provided the students with valuable insights into the production and application of superconductors.
01.02.2024We have a new PhD student!
Inci Sahin is our new PhD student! She studied NanoEngineering here at the University of Duisburg-Essen and will be working on quantum transport materials as potential electrodes for hydrogen catalysis as part of her doctorate.
18.01.2024Scholarship celebration 2024
An unknown benefactor who gives wings to your dreams. Such wishes come true at the University of Duisburg-Essen. However, the sponsors do not remain anonymous: scholarship holders got to know their supporters at the annual scholarship ceremony on 18 January 2024 - at a stylish dinner in Essen's canteen.
continue reading here or go directly to the pictures
01.01.2024Our team assistant is here!
Daniela Willemsen took up the position of team assistant in our working group at the beginning of this year. We are very much looking forward to working together and all that we will achieve this year!
20.12.2023It's getting cosier!
Now we finally have a place to exchange ideas in a more relaxed enviorment!
13.12.2023We have a kitchen!
We finally have a fully equipped kitchen!
05.12.2023Group christmas party
As part of this year's Christmas party, we visited the Zeche-Zollverein colliery in Essen and ended the evening at the Ronja restaurant in the Ringlokschuppen in Mülheim.
04.12.2023First general meeting of the RC FEMS
This Monday was the first general meeting of the Research Centre for Future Energy Materials and Systems (RC FEMS) at the Ruhr University Bochum. We had an interesting exchange with the other research groups and look forward to working closely together.
26.11-01.12.2023MRS Fall Meeting in Boston
Best wishes from Boston! Prof. Gabi Schierning was in Boston from 26.11 to 01.12.2023 at the fiftieth Material Research Society (MRS) Autumn Meeting.
25.10.2023Launch of the Research Alliance Ruhr
The University Alliance (UA) Ruhr celebrated the opening of the Research Alliance Ruhr in Essen on 24 October with around 100 guests from politics and science. Founded in 2021 on the initiative of the Ruhr Conference, 50 joint research professorships will be created here to address pressing issues of the future. Science Minister Ina Brandes honoured the successful collaboration between Ruhr-Universität Bochum, the University of Duisburg-Essen and TU Dortmund University.
15.10.2023We have a new PhD student!
Michael Staiger is our new PhD student! He studied NanoEngineering here at the University of Duisburg-Essen and will be working on the influence of alloying elements on the low-temperature transport properties of bismuth telluride as part of his doctorate.
29.09.2023Bochum Colloquium for Martensitic Transformations
The BoKoMaT_8 2023 conference on shape memory alloys offers a wide range of specialist presentations, discussion panels and space for mutual exchange. Gabi Schierning presented the group's work on the electronic causes of the martensitic phase transition in the shape memory alloy NiTi at this conference.
05.09.2023First scientific visit to Duisburg
Assistant Professor Matthias Agne from the University of Oregon in Eugene (USA) visited us in our new premises in Duisburg. In a lecture Matthias shared data and considerations regarding electron transport in highly doped semiconductors as well as tricks for sample preparation. We are looking forward to further scientific exchange and co-operation!
To the homepage of Asst. Prof. Matthias Agne
10.07.2023The new DynaCool is here!
With the new PPMS DynaCool system, we can use the 9 Tesla magnet to analyse the thermal and electrical properties of our samples down to 1.9 Kelvin. We are looking forward to the first results and the new insights gained through the simplified characterisation!
03.07.2023Interdisciplinary view of phase transitions
The Titanic broke apart when it collided with the iceberg. One of several reasons for the disaster: the steel used was extremely brittle. So-called phase transitions in the solid state explain this brittleness of metals. Triggered by temperature changes, material properties can change, as in the collision with the iceberg. Today, a different steel would be used because science knows more about these phase transitions. Experts from the fields of materials science, physics and engineering are researching them. Under the leadership of UDE Professor Gabi Schierning, an article has now been published in Advanced Energy Materials that takes an interdisciplinary look at the field and sets out future research goals.
20.04.2023An new member for the Research Alliance Ruhr
They are developing urgently needed materials for a sustainable energy system of the future: the researchers at the Research Centre Future Energy Materials and Systems of the Research Alliance Ruhr. Prof Dr Gabi Schierning has been conducting research at UDE since February 2023, while Prof. Dr. Silvana Botti and Prof. Dr. Miguel Marques have been at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) since April 2023. With their expertise in the natural and technical sciences, the three new members are sharpening the Research Centre's interdisciplinary approach.
16.04 - 19.04.2023Seminar organised by the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation
Together with the scientific organisers Prof. Dr. Andreas Hütten and Prof. Dr. Kai Rossnagel, we were able to hold the 784th seminar of the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation, which had the theme "Microstructure, Magnetic and Electronic Ordering: Interplay and Interactions". The programme, consisting of a total of 21 invited lectures and two poster sessions with excellent contributions, was followed by around 60 active researchers from various research fields. Highlights of the high-calibre seminar were the contributions by Anna Böhmer on electronically driven structural phase transitions in iron-based superconductors, Claus Ropers on ultrafast electron microscopy and diffraction and Dennis Meier on the properties of ferroelectric domain walls.
08.03.2023Our audio publication has been published!
With the collaboration of SciPod, we have published an audio publication. The almost eight-minute audio format sheds light on the properties of bismuth telluride particles. Two of our publications were summarised for the podcast.
To the publications:
Interface-Dominated Topological Transport in Nanograined Bulk Bi2TE3
Density-Dependence of Surface Transport in Tellurium-Enriched Nanograined Bulk Bi2TE3