An organic semiconductor that allows charges to flow both ways has been developed at the University of Washington.
Conductive plastics hold the key for cheaper, thinner and more flexible electronics components, but until now circuits implemented in organic materials have only allowed one type of charge to move through them.
Lead researcher Samson Janekhe and his team have been developing organic semiconductors capable of transmitting electrons for over a decade.
The team achieved the breakthrough by developing an organic molecule that can transport both positive and negative charges, which would allow simpler processes for building transistors and other information-processing devices.
"What we have shown in this paper is that you don't have to use two separate organic semiconductors," commented Mr Janekhe.
"You can use one material to create electronic circuits."
University of Washington researchers recently found a way to measure how much electrical current is carried by tiny bubbles inside nanoscale solar cells, paving the way for the development of more efficient materials.