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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Flex-tronics"
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ELECTRONICS--GOING ORGANIC... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. THERE'S A NEW ORGANIC MOVEMENT IN ELECTRONICS. HOWEVER, IT DOESN'T INVOLVE WHOLE-GRAIN FLAT-PANELS, OR SWISS-CHARD SEMICONDUCTORS--AS DELICIOUS AS THEY MAY SOUND. THE MOVEMENT TOWARD FLEXIBLE, LIGHTWEIGHT, ORGANIC ELECTRONICS COULD GIVE US THINGS LIKE A T-V SCREEN THAT COULD BE ROLLED UP AND STORED IN A TUBE--AND SOLAR PANELS THAT ARE FAR CHEAPER TO MAKE. TODAY'S ELECTRONICS USUALLY RELY ON INORGANIC MATERIALS--ESPECIALLY SILICON. THE DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIC--OR CARBON-BASED--ELECTRONIC DEVICES HAS BEEN STYMIED, BECAUSE THE SOLVENTS USED IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS ARE VERY DAMAGING TO ORGANIC MATERIALS. BUT, RESEARCHERS FROM CORNELL AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE (IN AUSTRALIA) HAVE DEVELOPED A NEW PROCESS THAT USES A KINDER, GENTLER SOLVENT: SUPERCRITICAL CARBON-DIOXIDE. THE RESULT COULD LEAD TO A WORLD OF NEW APPLICATIONS--LIKE SMART BANDAGES THAT MONITOR A WOUND, OR THOSE T-V'S-IN-A-TUBE. APPARENTLY, IF WE'RE GOING TO MOVE AHEAD WITH THE FUTURE OF ELECTRONICS, WE SHOULD LEARN TO BE MORE "FLEXIBLE". THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
