The second desideratum, of low thermal and high electrical conductivity, was achieved by dividing the bismuth telluride into pellets a few nanometres across.

ECONOMIST: Solar power

You see, it's been difficult for OLED builders to secure enough electrical conductivity of ITO in a low-temperature process, and this new methodology is perfectly suited for the coating method (which makes it ripe for printing).

ENGADGET: Resin replaces ITO in latest flexible OLED prototype

They often have interesting properties, such as poor heat conductivity (which makes them good insulators) and low friction (which makes them slippery).

ECONOMIST: The 2011 Nobel prizes