The key to chemical transformations

Diamond watch components

SNSF-funded researchers have developed a new technique for carving materials to create micromechanical systems. In particular, they have created a miniscule watch component out of synthetic single-crystal diamond. Diamond is very hard and elastic, a very good thermal conductor and highly tr ... more

The first precise measurement of a single molecule's effective charge

For the first time, scientists have precisely measured the effective electrical charge of a single molecule in solution. This fundamental insight of an SNSF Professor could also pave the way for future medical diagnostics. Electrical charge is one of the key properties that allows molecule ... more

The key to chemical transformations

Chemist Xile Hu is the winner of the National Latsis Prize for 2017. Hu, a professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, was recognised for his outstanding scientific career and his original contributions to the fundamental understanding of catalysis. Catalysis is a field of ch ... more