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Nature 408, 925-926 (21 December 2000) | doi:10.1038/35050201

Open Innovation Challenges

Nanotechnology: Solid progress in ion conduction

Alan V. Chadwick

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Materials that conduct ions are useful in devices involving electrochemical reactions, such as fuel cells and batteries. Low ionic conductivity was a problem for these materials until researchers built nanoscale versions.

The development of materials with dimensions in the nanoscale range is a highly active area of research because they often have very different properties from the bulk material. These properties can offer new or improved technological applications.