The ERC-funded project ATRONICS – Creating building blocks for atomic-scale electronics aims to develop a new generation of atomically scaled electronics. This is based on domain walls – interfaces between areas of equal polarization in ferroelectric materials – which have exceptional electronic properties.

These domain walls make it possible to emulate the behavior of basic electronic components such as diodes, transistors, and logic circuits. Through a combination of fundamental characterization, method development, and the realization of demonstrator devices, ATRONICS is making an important contribution to the development of extremely small and energy-efficient electronics. The project is funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant (Grant Agreement 863691 - EU Contribution €1,845,338).

TOPOCOM (Topological Solitons in Ferroics for Unconventional Computing) is a European research and training network that investigates topological solitons in ferroic materials for novel, sustainable concepts in information processing. These stable, nanoscale electrical and magnetic structures are considered a promising basis for energy-efficient computing and storage technologies beyond classical electronics.

The project brings together leading European partners from the fields of fundamental research and materials science to industrial application, creating an integrated training program for 11 doctoral students. TOPOCOM is funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions of the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant Agreement 101119608 – EU Contribution €2,683,972).

Our research group is part of the interdisciplinary Research Center Future Energy Materials and Systems (RC FEMS), a research center of the University Alliance Ruhr. It brings together researchers from the University of Duisburg-Essen, Ruhr University Bochum, and TU Dortmund University. The shared goal of the research center is to study and develop new materials and technologies for sustainable energy systems, as well as to realize efficient and resource-saving concepts that contribute to the energy transition.