Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have created a method that uses conventional processes for making printed electronic devices to produce stable electrodes. The metals typically used to create electrodes are quite reactive, especially in the presence of oxygen and moisture, which requires a material able to provide a rigid barrier, such as glass, to be used with them. The scientists used a thin polymer that, when thinly spread on the surface of a conductor, creates a strong surface dipole. This process transforms the conductor into an electrode able to replace reactive metals, which means the devices that use this method can be more flexible and less costly. Because the method results in a material that won’t react to oxygen and moisture, it thus is stable in its ability to conduct electricity. The manufacturing process is compatible with existing roll-to-roll imprinting technologies. The researchers tested the material in both organic thin-film transistors and organic LEDs, and also used the technique to create a prototype of an entirely plastic solar cell. They published their research in Science. (redOrbit)(Georgia Tech)(Science)
