Waste heat—the rejected by-product of all energy conversion processes—remains a huge and unexplored reservoir of green energy. It is estimated that two-thirds of the 160 TWh required for global power consumption is lost to the environment each year. Converting even a fraction of this wasted energy into electricity at the cost of 10 cents per kWh would generate a new EUR 1.0 trillion industry—creating jobs, boosting the economy, and increasing energy efficiency.

One of the most challenging problems in material science is establishing a relation between material’s properties and interfacial structure.

This project aims at establishing a fundamental and applied research program via the set up of a new “virtual modeling lab” which will open the path towards a change of paradigm in the modelling of Space Weather impact.

The experimental confirmation of 2D topological insulators (2D-TI) with unique conductivity properties in 2007 has potential for advanced quantum computers and spintronic devices. Topological insulators conduct at the edge, offering scattering-free, spin-polarized channels crucial for dissipationless electronics. Challenges persist in practical device creation due to technical complexities. Discovery of 2D-TI phases in TMD materials like 1T-WTe2 enables van der Waals heterostructures, promising high-performance electronics and quantum computing applications. This proposal aims to engineer a spintronic device through rationalized heterostructure design, local and mesoscopic property characterization, and multiscale imaging and transport studies.