Electronic Properties (PGI-6)

Forgotten Property of the Electron: Physical Discovery Opens up New Avenues for “Orbitronics”

The orbital angular momentum of electrons has long been considered a minor physical phenomenon, suppressed in most crystals and largely overlooked. Scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich have now discovered that in certain materials it is not only preserved but can even be actively controlled. This is due to a property of the crystal structure called chirality, which also influences many other processes in nature.

Materials science

Materials engineering in flatland

A team of physicists from Forschungszentrum Jülich and the University of Graz has achieved a breakthrough in the development and characterisation of 2D-MOFs, a special type of two-dimensional material. They were able to show how the structure of the materials is formed and which electronic and magnetic properties are associated with it.