With the help of the Strategic Core Research Area (SCoReA+) Hydrogen & Carbon of the Rectorate, the Chair of Physics and the Chair of Functional Materials and Materials Systems have set up new core laboratories for the functionalization and characterization of carbon materials.

Current research activities include the thermal-, thermochemical- and plasmachemical modification of carbons and their comprehensive characterization. The official inauguration event on July 3^rd which was co-organized by Oskar Paris,  Sebastian Stock, Nikolaos Kostoglou, and Christian Mitterer, welcomed approximately 50 participants, including research groups from Montanuniversität Leoben and Prof. Valeska Tings' group from the University of Bristol (UK). The inauguration event featured guided laboratory tours showcasing the new infrastructure, along with engaging presentations that provided a platform for discussing current scientific challenges towards the applications of nanocarbons for energy storage.

Sebastian Stock, PhD student at the Department of Physics, received the award for the best student talk at the symposium "Neutron Scattering Enabled Energy Materials Design" at the 50th MRS Spring Meeting and Exhibit in San Francisco. In the award-winning talk, Sebastian Stock presented his research results on "In Situ Small Angle Neutron Scattering Study of Hydrogen Physisorption in Nanoporous Carbons". His work demonstrates the potential of neutron scattering techniques in the study of hydrogen physisorption in nanoporous carbon materials. The in-situ measurements of hydrogen physisorption at the atomic level help to better understand the behavior of hydrogen in nanopores and improve the performance and efficiency of hydrogen storage.