Transcript
Researchers at Wake Forest University's Organic Electronics group
have devised a novel solution to one of the biggest technological
barriers facing the organic semiconductor industry. They've developed a
high-performance organic semiconductor "spray paint" that can be applied
to large surface areas without losing electrical conductivity.
This is a potentially game-changing technology for a number of reasons.
Organic thin-film transistors are currently deposited by one of three methods. Drop-casting and spin-coating
conduct electricity well, but are limited to small area applications.
They could not be used to make a wall-sized, flexible video screen, for
instance.
On the other hand, organic spray-on techniques can be applied to large areas, but have poor performance when compared to their small-area counterparts.
The Wake Forest research delivers the best of both worlds. The
spray-deposition technology produces the high-performance organic
thin-film transistors comparable to those of drop-casting and
spin-coating.
But, unlike drop-casting and spin-coating, this new spray-deposition
technology can be applied over large surfaces onto nearly any medium,
ranging from plastic and metal to human skin.
The team's research was published in the journal Advanced Materials.
Because of its superb performance, its low cost to process compared
to inorganic semiconducting materials like silicon, and the fact that it
can be applied over large areas quickly, it has the potential to be
highly competitive when produced in commercial quantities.
Due to the organic plastics' thin, lightweight nature, the technology
is a big step towards realizing futuristic devices such as:
Transparent solar cells on building windows.Electronic displays in previously inaccessible spaces.Wearable electronics.
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