A transistor that uses gallium nitride (GaN) instead of silicon has been invented. It can reduce power consumption and improve the efficiency of power electronics systems in everything from motor drives and hybrid vehicles to house appliances and defence equipment.

New models of how two types of power transistors perform that will result in more efficient smart electrical circuits, making technologies such as cars and home appliances more reliable and environmentally friendly, have been developed by European researchers.

The safety of lithium-ion batteries has been improved so that in future they could replace motor vehicle lead acid batteries. At the same time, lithium-ion batteries used in computers and other small devices have been made safer following research at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg.

Graphene has been used to create the world’s smallest transistor, one atom thick and 10 atoms wide, according to Dr Kostya Novoselov and Prof Andre Geim from The School of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Manchester.

Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientists and others have revealed the electronic structure of single DNA molecules.

Researchers at The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, Germany are working towards the industrial mass production of organic solar cells.

Dr Dave Worsley, a Reader in the Materials Research Centre at the Swansea University’s School of Engineering, is investigating ways of painting solar cells onto the flexible steel surfaces commonly used for cladding buildings.

British scientists have revealed a system called 'trapping rainbows' that may be able to slow down, stop and even capture light

Nanotechnology researchers are working on a 'power shirt' which aims to replace batteries

Textiles that glow in the dark may be about to make the world a safer place for cyclists, joggers and pedestrians during bad light and at night

Energy lost as heat during the production of electricity could be harnessed using synthesised silicon nanowires

Complex three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuits involving both optical and electronic elements are now easier to make, thanks to a 'wafer bonding' technique developed by a European research consortium

Over the last four decades, computer chips have found their way into virtually every electronic device in the world. During that time they have become smaller, cheaper and more powerful

New-generation fuel cells may soon replace rechargeable batteries in laptop computers, following work carried out by Cambridge-based company CMR Fuel Cells of Britain

A team of UniSA researchers in partnership with a WA company has been awarded Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project funding to develop a new membrane for a zinc bromine battery that could provide Australia with renewable energy storage