14 DAY TRIAL // A team of chemists at the Duke University announce the development of a material that could enable the next generation of printable electrons, which can deform, stretch and bend at will, without breaking.
They will be made possible by flexible, electrically conductive nanowires made out of copper and nickel, which are organized as thin films. In this configuration, they can transfer electricity even under conditions that would otherwise hamper electron flow, Science Blog reports.
In order to create printable electronics, scientists have to somehow combine the printing processes currently used for magazines and newspapers with inks containing electronically active components.
The reason why these technologies are being researched is that they are very cheap, and can produce devices at very high speeds. Possible applications include the development of new solar cells, LED, advanced plastic packaging and clothing.