Scientists at the University of Basel have found a way to change the spatial arrangement of bipyridine molecules on a surface. These potential components of dye-sensitized solar cells form complexes with metals and thereby alter their chemical conformation. The results of this interdisciplinary collaboration between chemists and physicists from Basel were recently published in the […]

In September during the SNI’s Annual Event, SNI director Professor Christian Schönenberger bestowed honorary membership on Professor Jens Gobrecht (Paul Scherrer Institute) in recognition of his major contributions to the applied research program Nano Argovia and his continuous support of the Swiss Nanoscience Institute.

A new technique makes it possible to obtain an individual fingerprint of the current-carrying edge states occurring in novel materials such as topological insulators or 2D materials. Physicists of the University of Basel present the new method together with American scientists in “Nature Communications.” While insulators do not conduct electrical currents, some special materials exhibit […]

For the year 2019, eight new PhD projects have been approved. Highly motivated young scientists are invited to apply. The successful candidates will join the attractive SNI program that currently supports more than 30 young scientists. (flyer) Each doctoral student is supervised by two scientists from the interdisciplinary SNI network. Within this network, scientific exchange and […]

Physicists at the University of Basel are working on using the spin of an electron confined in a semiconductor nanostructure as a unit of information for future quantum computers. For the first time, they have now been able to experimentally demonstrate a mechanism of electron spin relaxation that was predicted 15 years ago. The scientists […]

  For the first time, researchers were able to study quantum interference in a three-level quantum system and thereby control the behavior of individual electron spins. To this end, they used a novel nanostructure, in which a quantum system is integrated into a nanoscale mechanical oscillator in form of a diamond cantilever. Nature Physics has […]

The July issue of SNI update is now online! You’ll find articles about sustainable pest management in winegrowing, about an award-winning former PhD student of the SNI PhD School and about two applied research projects. Additionally, we report on different events and announce calls for the Nano-Argovia program and the Nano Image Award.  We hope […]

It’s that time again. You can submit proposals for the SNI’s Nano Argovia applied research program up until September 30, 2018. All of the necessary information can be found at: www.nanoargovia.ch

Electrical circuits are constantly being scaled down and extended with specific functions. A new method now allows electrical contact to be established with simple molecules on a conventional silicon chip. The technique promises to bring advances in sensor technology and medicine, as reported in the journal Nature by chemists from the University of Basel and […]

Cross section of an alpha-synuclein fibril. Left: 3D reconstruction of the fibril, showing two interacting protein molecules. Right: atomic model of the fibril structure. Parkinson’s disease was first described by a British doctor more than 200 years ago. The exact causes of this neurodegenerative disease are still unknown. In a study recently published in eLife, […]