PrintableCircuits
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Copper-nickel nanowires from Duke University could make ubiquitous printable circuits
Nanowires, although they're building steam, still have to overcome the not-so-small problem of cost -- they often have to use indium tin oxide that's not just expensive, but fragile. Duke University has developed copper-nanowire films that could remedy this in style. The choice of material is both a hundred times less expensive to make than indium and is much more durable. It's flexible, too: if layered on as a coating, the nanowires would make for considerably more viable wearable electronics that won't snap under heavy stress. The catch, as you might suspect, stems from the copper itself, which doesn't conduct as much electricity as indium. The nickel will keep your copper electronics from oxidizing faster than the Statue of Liberty, however. Any practical use could be years away, but further successes from Duke could quickly see printable electronics hit the mainstream power and power our dreams of flexible displays.
ThinFilm and PARC demo printable, organic CMOS circuit, inch us closer to an 'internet of things'
ThinFilm and the legendary PARC (of mouse and GUI fame) announced they have produced a working prototype of a printable circuit that incorporated organic, rewritable memory and transistors. The resulting integrated circuits are essentially CMOS "chips" that can be printed on large rolls at extremely low cost. The most obvious application of the technology is in NFC chips, but the small price and size could find the printable circuits turning up as everything from price tags to freshness sensors on food packaging. Sure, the idea of an "internet of things" sounds a bit cheesy, but there's no denying the allure of a world where practically everything is "smart." Check out the full PR after the break for a few more details.
German researchers develop biotech sensor bracelet, disposable blood lab
Biochips -- flexible, disposable plastic circuits that "compute" via chemical reaction -- have been nearing reality for over a decade, but for obvious reasons we don't always pay attention. German research institute Fraunhofer IZM has just convinced us it's high time we did. This week, the organization announced that it's on the verge of creating a lab-on-a-chip that can diagnose deep vein thrombosis from a single drop of blood, as well as a wristband that can measure body temperature, skin moisture and electromagnetic radiation using plastic chips and sensors only micrometers thick. Impressive, yes, but the real news is the production process -- these gadgets can be printed in reels and sheets. The organization imagines the tools will be so cheap they'll be disposable; rather than wait for lab results, worried individuals will just take one out, test and toss to feel confident about their bloodwork, before hopefully going back to their normal lives.
Xerox announces silver ink, keeps printable electronics dream alive
Here comes Xerox, huffing and puffing its way back from obscurity with what it believes is a revolutionary new advancement. Its brand new silver ink and related printing technologies promise to make it possible for the lazy or breadboard handicapped among us to print their own circuit boards atop plastics, film, and even textiles. The wizardry of it lies in the company's development of a metallic ink with a melting point lower than that of plastics, which allows the former to be laid (in liquid form) atop the latter. It's all very neat, and the potential for flexible, lightweight, disposable electronics is well and good, but haven't we heard this all before?
OE-A shows off nonvolatile RAM, RFID tag formed by printing
While it's far from being noteworthy to the mainstream public, printable electronics hold a lot of promise. Over at Printable Electronics 2009 in Tokyo, the Organic Electronics Association (OE-A) demonstrated some of the most extreme, useful printings that we've seen to date. By utilizing an eclectic array of printing methods, the agency was able to produce nonvolatile RAM with a capacity of 1,024 bits (for use in ID and game cards) along with a printed RFID tag that could be launched today in logistics operations. We doubt very seriously that mere consumers will soon have access to printers of this nature, but if we can now print memory and wireless identification tags, one must wonder: what on Earth is next?
Networks of carbon nanotubes find use in flexible displays
Carbon nanotubes may very well kill you (okay, so that's very much a stretch), but you'll have a hard time convincing the dutiful scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to stop their promising research. Put simply (or as simply as possible), said researchers have discovered that "networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes printed onto bendable plastic perform well as semiconductors in integrated circuits." So well, in fact, that the nanotube networks could one day "replace organic semiconductors in applications such as flexible displays." Granted, there is still much to do before these networks are ready for product integration, but you can bet these folks aren't hitting the brakes after coming this far.
Researchers develop scalable circuit printing technique
As if there weren't enough "almost theres" in the world of printable circuits, now we've got yet another team developing their own iteration of a printing press for electronics. The group, which includes scientists from DuPont and Organic ID, has reportedly "fabricated a printing plate used to print the source-drain level of an array of thin-film transistors," essentially solving some of the low-resolution constraints seen on prior competition. The goal is to eventually posses the ability to "print large, flexible circuits using machines similar to printing presses," and while it seems to be a ways from commercialization, initial testing and comparisons to more traditionally-created transistors have produced glowing results.[Image courtesy of HowStuffWorks]
HP inkjet printer kicks out environmentally friendly circuit
It's been nearly three years since we first reported on printable circuit boards, but researchers in the UK are still working to hone the process. Leeds University's Seyed Bidoki was recently able to load a "standard Hewlett Packard inkjet printer with a solution of metal salts and water" and print out an actual electronic circuit. The mysterious "silver salt solution" and vitamin C mixture could be used to "pave the way for safer and cheaper electronics manufacturing," and moreover, this cheap and easy alternative should certainly be a hit with the environmentally conscience crowd. This method utilizes a water-soluble base, which differs from the less green solvents used in polymer ink / graphite paste varieties from before, but even individuals working with the project admit that ousting the current regime will be difficult. Still, the crew is pressing forward with this toxin-free approach, and hopes to elicit the help of "industrial jet printers" before long to speed things up.
