A new plastic, a semi-conducting polythiophene, has been developed by a joint US-UK academic and industrial team.  This substance is an organic polymer that conducts electricity and can be laid out using very simple printing techniques.  As a result it could eventually rival silicon and make electronic paper easy and cheap to use.

Because traditional polymers conduct electricity far slower than silicon, they could never challenge its dominance. The team altered the molecular structure of this substance to bring it up to speed, so to speak, relative to silicon, and, in addition, to allow it to dissolve in a solution to produce an ink.  As a result it can be printed on flexible surfaces for various applications.  (As a matter of fact the team's already managed to print transistors six times faster than any previous polymer transistors, and comparable in performance to silicon transistors.)

This new substance will most probably be used first in disposable electronic items and small reflective displays for PDAs and e-paper.  As the technology improves it could be used in larger, higher-resolution displays.  

Hats off to the joint team, we say, for coming up with this groundbreaking substance.  We eagerly await the commercial debut of this new super-plastic.  Bring it on!

[Via BBC News]