Transparent Transistors Printed On Paper

MTorrice writes "To make light-weight, inexpensive electronics using renewable materials, scientists have turned to a technology that is almost 2,000 years old: paper. Researchers fabricated organic transistors on a transparent, exceptionally smooth type of paper called nanopaper. This material has cellulose fibers that are only 10 nm in diameter. The nanopaper transistors are about 84% transparent, and their performance decreases only slightly when bent."

Comments

Is it Green or is it Transparent?

[Required Snark]

The nanopaper transistor also showed excellent optical transmittance up to 83.5%. The device configuration can be applied to many other semiconductor materials toward flexible green electronics.

This is confusing. Is it green or is it transparent? Maybe it's a light green. Just make up your mind.

2000 year old?

[dabadab]

That is certainly a lot more modern, than silicone, which is about 14 billion years old.

Could we skip this bullshit? This nanopaper most certainly don't have too much in common with the paper made 2000 years ago.

Re:2000 year old?

[SuricouRaven]

Silicon. Not silicone. Silicone is a polymer compound of silicon and oxygen, commonly used as a sealant.

TFA

[codeButcher]

I've read the fine article, and it might not be immediately clear from the summary that the breakthrough here is not the transistor per se - the important step was in using the "nanopaper" (which is tech that is in fact NOT 2KA old).

And while the nanopaper may be biodegradable, I am wondering about the carbon nanotubes they are printing on top (as conductors). While the toxicity of carbon nanotubes is still being studied, there are good indications that they might behave similar to asbestos fibres. So not something you would necessarily want to throw on your compost heap.

Re:2000 year old tech

[codeButcher]

Apparently (from TFA) the purpose for printing on a transparent substrate has to do with creating light-emitting display technology (from cheap, renewable resources, with a low recycling impact). So, probably much less transistor-dense than your great balls of fire GPU.

Grant writing time!

[Overzeetop]

Yes. Thank you for all coming today. I have here, in my hand, a new type of transistor that I have printed on this ORDINARY piece of paper. ...
What?
Of course you cant see them - they're transparent. ...
Do they work? Of course they do, and Jimmy here has a nice computer simulation of the process. ...
No, of course we can't demonstrate on the real thing, we still have to work out the interconnects and external interface, but trust me - they're on here. ...
Yes, I have printed what is essentially invisible transistors on this paper, and it will change the world. I just need a few million dollars in funding to help me work out some of the critical issues.