Three-dimensional topological insulators are materials that can conduct electric current without resistance—but only on their surface. However, this effect is difficult to measure. This is because these materials usually have little surface area in relation to their volume, which means their transport properties are dominated by bulk charge carriers. Bielefeld University physicists have now succeeded in developing topological insulators based on tiny nanoparticles and have thus been able to demonstrate charge transport on the surface. The study was conducted in cooperation with researchers from the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden. The scientists have published their results today (21.9.2021) in the journal Small. The European Research Council ERC funded the study with a Consolidator Grant.

Although Covid-19 affects men and women differently, the large majority of current clinical studies of SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19 makes no mention of sex/gender. Indeed, only a fraction, 4 percent, explicitly plan to address sex and gender in their analysis, concludes a new analysis of nearly 4,500 studies. 21 percent only take this variable into account when selecting participants while 5.4 % go as far as planning to have sex-matched or representative subgroups and samples. The article is published in Nature Communications. The study is conducted by researchers at at Bielefeld University, Nijmegen's Radboud University Medical Center, Aarhus University, and University of Copenhagen.