Electronic circuits in thin and bendable sheets are used in apps like solar cells for vehicle roofs and flexible smartphone displays. Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan used Canadian Light Source (CLS) to develop a material that they claim stores up to 1,000x more charge than current printed electronics.
Printed electronics comprise much of the Internet of Things (IoT) on objects like milk cartons, refrigerators, air fryers, and our smartphones and computers. Such an advance could open up a world of technological possibilities. The IoT needs the circuitry and advanced operations possible with electronics that function in positive and negative voltage modes. That’s where the material shows promise. The team used intensely bright synchrotron light at the CLS to analyze their material and improve performance. They published their findings in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.
The CLS allowed the team to understand the nanoscale structure of the material as well as what enables good performance and what hinders it. The data they collected at the synchrotron provides ways to engineer the materials better. The researchers expect printed electronics to enter the marketplace in about seven years.
