Within the European Research Project Fiblys, they have therefore redesigned their microscope to a fully functional nano-laboratory.
Engineers are now creating new tools to smoothen, reshape or even build spikes on the surface of these probes as they are looking at them in real time. This new powerful tool helps to create new nano-surfaces on solar cells for example. Scientists hope that this way they can increase their efficiency significantly.
The new nano-laboratory opens up new possibilities not only in the design of more efficient solar cells, but also for the design of more efficient fuel cells and batteries. At the moment the nano-lab is a prototype, but could be used by other engineers within the next two years.