Communications of the ACM
Researchers Develop A Wood Transistor
The researchers used balsa wood and conductive plastic to create their transistor.
Credit: Thor Balkhed
Researchers at Linköping University and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a transistor made of conductive wood. The device and concept could be a stepping stone toward applications in bioelectronics, bio-based electronics, and plant electronics, the researchers say in a paper published in PNAS.
"Yes, the wood transistor is slow and bulky, but it does work, and has huge development potential," says Isak Engquist, senior associate professor at the Laboratory for Organic Electronics at Linköping University. Possible applications could include regulating electronic plants.
"We didn't create the wood transistor with any specific application in mind," Engquist says. "We did it because we could. This is basic research, showing that it's possible, and we hope it will inspire further research that can lead to applications in the future."
From Linköping University
View Full Article
No entries found