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We are not talking about food here, it is the "organic electronics" that are finding their way into our electrical lives. It is not just a label, but a growing industry with potential to bring us new-age efficiency and creativity. Organic electronics do not grow from the earth. Instead, the components involve a lot of chemistry, generally stemming from carbon based compounds, and how it bonds with oxygen and hydrogen to create unique substances like conductive polymers. Carbon-based (Organic) molecules are not generally known for their conductivity, but rather their properties such as low cost to produce, flexibility, and light weight.
Prototype flixible organic displays, showing the potential of organically derived electronics.
"Melanin" switch, an active organic polymer voltage-controlled device (circa 1974 in the Smithsonian collection)
Organic compounds used in electronics dates back to 1862. Henry Letheby made a partly conductive material, polyaniline, by anodic oxidation of aniline in sulfuric acid. The 1950s and 60s brought more experimentation in conductive compounds. In 1973, the journal Science reported that a organic-polymer electrical device was possible. Flash forward to the year 2000,a group of researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the "discovery and development" of conductive polymers. It seems the team may have been riding on the shoulders of generations that proceeded. Their compound was an oxidized and iodine-doped polyacetylene.
Currently, organic materials are being used to create electronics such as LEDs, semiconductors, transistors, and solar cell products. OLEDs, organic light emitting diodes, consist of thin layers of organic compounds placed between two electrodes. OLEDs remove the need for backlighting, achieving deeper colors and higher contrast ratios. Many new televisions, monitors, and smart phone displays currently use them. Additionally, semiconductors created from organic materials create a more energy efficient product. A combination of p-type positive charge carriers or holes and n-type negative charge carriers or electrons transmit a current only when their bits are flipping. Organic semiconductors also possess similar characteristics as non organic semiconductors which allow for doping by an oxidization-reduction process.
The future of organic electronics will lead to many innovations to sustainably meet consumer demands. Affordable costs will lead to the development of everyday products with smart functionality. The more immediate applications we may see include photovoltaics (solar cells), radio frequency identification tags (RFID), and printed electronics. One thing we can count on is organic technologies bringing people together in hopes to extend the planet's resources while making a profit.
In order to progress in this field chemists, electrical engineers, material engineers, and others within the electrical design and fabrication communities have to work together.
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