PDI's João Marcelo Lopes Joins DFG Cluster of Excellence "Chiral Electronics" as Associate Partner

The Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik (PDI) is pleased to announce that João Marcelo Lopes has recently joined the DFG Cluster of Excellence Center for Chiral Electronics (CCE) as an associate partner.

The CCE brings together leading researchers from physics and chemistry in Halle (Saale), Berlin, and Regensburg to explore the unique potential of chirality in solid-state and molecular systems for next-generation electronic technologies. Chirality describes the property of an object or molecule that does not match its mirror image — much like the difference between our left and right hands. This "handedness" breaks spatial symmetries and unlocks distinctive electronic, optical, and magnetic responses. The CCE team investigates how this principle can be harnessed to create new mechanisms for spin and charge transport, paving the way for low-dissipation, high-performance electronic devices.

Lopes leads PDI's Core Research Area (CReA) 2D Materials, and is widely recognized as a leading expert in the epitaxial growth of 2D materials, including novel 2D magnets which will be studied in collaboration with CCE partners. Over the course of his career, his work has helped establish key approaches for the controlled synthesis and understanding of 2D materials and their heterostructures, and his group continues to push the boundaries of what these material systems can achieve. His invitation to join the CCE is a direct reflection of this standing in the field, and opens a valuable new channel connecting PDI's epitaxy and materials expertise with the Cluster's work on chirality-driven device concepts. 

Lopes extends his thanks to everyone at the PDI who contributed to this achievement, in particular his colleagues Tauqir Shinwari, Kacho Imtiyaz Ali Khan, and Hua Lv, as well as the MBE lab and clean room staff.