Electrons race along the surface of certain unusual crystalline materials, except that sometimes they don’t. Two new studies from Princeton researchers and their collaborators explain the source of the surprising behavior and chart a course for restoring the speedy flow of electrons through these remarkable crystals, prized for their potential use in future technologies including quantum computers. https://www.princeton.edu/news/2020/02/13/fast-and-fragile-two-new-studies-explain-strange-electron-flow-future-materials