The star shaped object visible in the center of the micrograph above is a zinc oxide crystal, which is attached to a supporting mesh made of amorphous carbon. Zinc oxide is a material widely investigated for potential applications in transistors, light emitting diodes and solar cells. This area of research focuses on finding cheap alternatives to already existing technologies. This could result in cheaper computers and smart phones, and cheap solar powered chargers for electronic appliances.
That'd be really nice. Zinc oxide is dirt cheap. I knew zinc selenide was being used for a lot of interesting purposes, but if we could find ways to get the same behavior out of the vastly cheaper zinc oxide that'd be a big deal.
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