A researcher at the University of Southampton has developed a self-powered sensor to monitor progress during knee operations.

European researchers have taken a step towards the goal of developing printable electronics that can be used for creating radiofrequency identification tags and flexible watch displays.

During the design and production of electronic products, complex circuitry or subsystems need to be tested and often require additional signals from a missing or difficult-to-obtain component or sensor.

With its M3000 series, Epcos has developed a temperature sensor with a PVC-free cable that contains no halogens, environmentally harmful plasticisers or stabilisers with heavy metals.

IMEC and AIXTRON have demonstrated the growth of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures on 200 mm silicon wafers. This demonstration is another step towards fabricating low-cost GaN power devices for high-efficiency/high-power systems beyond the silicon limits.

Proof that the ‘avalanche effect’ by electrons occurs in specific, very small semiconducting crystals could pave the way for cheap high-output solar cells.

Nanotechnology could improve the life of the lithium batteries used in portable devices, including laptop computers, MP3 players and mobile phones. Research has demonstrated that carbon nanotubes can prevent batteries from losing charge capacity over time.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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