Topological insulators feature lossless conduction at the
edges

Atomically thin layers of the semimetal tungsten
ditelluride conduct electricity losslessly along narrow,
one-dimensional channels at the crystal edges. The material is
therefore a second-order topological insulator. By obtaining
experimental proof of this behavior, physicists from the University
of Basel have expanded the pool of candidate materials for
topological superconductivity. The findings have been published in
the journal Nano Letters.