Nanotechnology Now Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors Home > Press > Conductive nature in crystal structures revealed at magnification of 10 million times: University of Minnesota study opens up possibilities for new transparent materials that conduct electricity University of Minnesota Professor K. Andre Mkhoyan and his team used analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), which combines imaging with spectroscopy, to observe metallic properties in the perovskite crystal barium stannate (BaSnO3). The atomic-resolution STEM image, with a BaSnO3 crystal structure (on the left), shows an irregular arrangement of atoms identified as the metallic line defect core. CREDIT Mkhoyan Group, University of Minnesota Abstract: In groundbreaking materials research, a team led by University of Minnesota Professor K. Andre Mkhoyan has made a discovery that blends the best of two sought-after qualities for touchscreens and smart windows--transparency and conductivity.