A key achievement in shrinking photonic devices below the diffraction limit — a necessary step on the road to making photonic circuits competitive with today’s technology — has been revealed by scientists.

Scientists have caught a glimpse of the elusive toxic form of the Alzheimer’s molecule, during its attempt to bore into the outer covering of a cell decoy, using a new method involving laser light and fat-coated silver nano-particles.

A transparent electrode with high electrical conductivity has been developed for solar cells and other optoelectronic components — that uses minimal amounts of material. It consists of a random network of silver nanowires that is coated with aluminium-doped zinc oxide. The novel electrode requires about 70 times less silver than conventional silver grid electrodes, but possesses comparable electrical conductivity.