Purdue University doctoral student Yang Xu, lead author of a new research paper on "topological insulators," an emerging class of materials that could make possible "spintronic" devices and practical ...

Diamond is an effective electrical insulator, but that might not always be the case according to a new study from MIT and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore. The team has calculated that ...

Over the past decades, computers have become faster and faster and hard disks and storage chips have reached enormous capacities. But this trend cannot continue forever: we are already running up ...

If there are two classes of matter that electronics people can agree on, its conductors and insulators. Electrically, conductors and insulators don’t have much in common. The same has held true in the ...

The need to integrate renewable energy resources, and prepare for increased demand for power as electrification takes hold in transportation and other sectors, creates challenges for an aging grid.

Porcelain insulators have long been integral to electrical power systems, valued for their high dielectric strength, durability and reliability under challenging environmental conditions. Their ...

Is your laptop or phone overheating? Newly engineered plastic could lead to self-cooling casings for common electronics. Plastics are excellent insulators, meaning they can efficiently trap heat -- a ...

Plastics are excellent insulators, meaning they efficiently trap heat—a quality that is an advantage in something such as a coffee cup sleeve. But this insulating property is less desirable in ...

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...

In some cases, it takes only a single oscillation of light to disrupt the electronic order of a material and turn an insulator into a metal-like conductor. The scientists at the Berlin Max Born ...