Physicists have developed a new technique that uses electrical voltages to control the electron spin on a chip. The newly-developed method provides protection from spin decay, meaning that the contained information can be maintained and transmitted over comparatively large distances, as has been demonstrated by a team from the University of Basel’s Department of […]

The new issue of SNI update is online.  You get to know more about Elise Aeby, who won the price for the best nanostudies master’s thesis and about the young start-up Qnami. Additionally, we introduce some new Argovia projects and report on awards and events with participation of the SNI.  SNI update is published four times a […]

Scientists from the Swiss Nanoscience Institute and the University of Basel have succeeded in coupling an extremely small quantum dot with 1,000 times larger trumpet-shaped nanowire. The movement of the nanowire can be detected with a sensitivity of 100 femtometers via the wavelength of the light emitted by the quantum dot. Conversely, the oscillation of […]

Flexible electronic parts could significantly improve medical implants. However, electroconductive gold atoms usually hardly bind to silicones. Researchers from the University of Basel have now been able to modify short-chain silicones in a way, that they build strong bonds to gold atoms. The results have been published in the journal «Advanced Electronic Materials». Ultra-thin and […]

Scientists have developed a new method of characterizing graphene’s properties without applying disruptive electrical contacts, allowing them to investigate both the resistance and quantum capacitance of graphene and other two-dimensional materials. Researchers from the Swiss Nanoscience Institute and the University of Basel’s Department of Physics reported their findings in the journal Physical Review Applied. Graphene […]

Two-dimensional magnetic structures are regarded as a promising material for new types of data storage, since the magnetic properties of individual molecular building blocks can be investigated and modified. For the first time, researchers have now produced a wafer-thin ferrimagnet, in which molecules with different magnetic centers arrange themselves on a gold surface to form […]

The new issue of our newsletter SNI update is now online. We explain some phenomena of the quantum world, introduce Dr Sonja Neuhaus who heads a research group in the School of Engineering (FHNW) and report about activities of SNI members in recent months.  SNI update is published four times a year. If you are interested to receive our […]

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in studying the strength of hydrogen bonds in a single molecule using an atomic force microscope. Researchers from the University of Basel’s Swiss Nanoscience Institute network have reported the results in the journal Science Advances. Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe and is an integral […]

Basel chemist Thomas Ward, Professor of Bioinorganic Chemistry at the University of Basel and Director of the NCCR Molecular Systems Engineering, is the Royal Society of Chemistry Bioinorganic Chemistry Award winner for 2017. Professor Ward’s group has been combining chemical and biological tools for fifteen years. They create artificial metalloenzymes that can be used for […]

The University of Basel team has won the first international nanocar race, which was held on a gold racetrack. The young scientists from the Department of Physics and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute at the University of Basel were the fastest at steering a single molecule along a miniscule gold track measuring around 100 nanometers. The […]