Combining an atomically thin graphene and a boron nitride layer at a slightly rotated angle changes their electrical properties. Physicists at the University of Basel have now shown for the first time the combination with a third layer can result in new material properties also in a three-layer sandwich of carbon and boron nitride. This […]

Physicists from the University of Basel have developed a new method to examine the elasticity and binding properties of DNA molecules on a surface at extremely low temperatures. With a combination of cryo-force spectroscopy and computer simulations, they were able to show that DNA molecules behave like a chain of small coil springs. The researchers […]

We invite researchers working in any fields of nanometer scale imaging to participate and share their latest techniques and scientific progress, and exchange ideas in a short, focused conference. Examples of topics of interest include, but are not limited to scanning probe microscopy, electron microscopy, NV center imaging, X-ray imaging, or advanced optical imaging More informationen and flyer   

  The SNI team wishes happy holidays and a great start to a healthy, successful and peaceful 2019 and many thanks for your support and interest!  

This year’s Ružička Prize has been awarded to Christof Sparr, Assistant Professor at the University of Basel. The 38-year-old chemist was honored for his outstanding achievements in the development of new synthesis methods. Christof Spar was born in 1980 in Appenzell. He studied chemistry at ETH Zurich and completed his education with a doctorate in […]

Researchers from the University of Basel have reported a new method that allows the physical state of just a few atoms or molecules within a network to be controlled. It is based on the spontaneous self-organization of molecules into extensive networks with pores about one nanometer in size. In the journal small, the physicists reported […]

The December issue of our newsletter SNI update is now online. You will find a story of a successful Nano Argovia project, which has created a great deal of media coverage. We introduce the young professor Jelena Klinovaja at the Department of Physics of the University of Basel and report on various events that took […]

Congratulations to the winners of this years’ Nano Image Award and many thanks to all who submitted their fascinating images of the nano- and microworld.      

In a collaboration with the companies Dectris Ltd. (Baden) and Crystallise! AG (Schlieren), supported by the Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI), researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute, ETH Zurich, and the University of Basel have shown that electron beam diffraction is ideally suited to determining the three-dimensional structure of crystals. Providing a complement to the technique […]

Today, the European Commission launched its flagship initiative on quantum technologies. Three research groups from the Department of Physics at the University of Basel are involved. The aim of the 1 billion euro research and technology funding program is to develop radically new and powerful quantum technologies by exploiting various quantum effects. Quantum physics describes […]