Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik

Researchers from PDI, IKZ, Kenyon College, and the University of Toledo have resolved the long-debated electronic structure of chromium nitride, establishing it as a narrow-gap semiconductor with a bandgap of ~0.15 eV, opening new possibilities for mid-infrared photonics and spintronics.

PDI researchers, together with groups at Linköping University and the University of Potsdam, have identified why organic solar cells struggle to exceed 20% efficiency and found a practical route past it. The findings are published in Nature Photonics.

PDI is delighted to announce Emma Wood as the winner of the Artist-in-Residence Programme 2026. A Berlin-based weaver, Emma will spend three months embedded at the institute, exploring the connections between heritage weaving and materials science. Nine runners-up are also announced.

PDI has been granted EFRE funding to establish GISEH, a new application laboratory offering industry and academic partners rapid access to real-time X-ray diffraction characterisation of advanced materials — enabling iteration cycles that are otherwise inaccessible to many potential users.