Communications of the ACM
Polymer Synthesis Could Aid Future Electronics
A high-resolution scanning tunneling microscope image (top) and density functional theory-calculated structures (bottom) reveal the formation of a well-organized PEDOT polymer.
Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Canadian and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers have developed a process that could lead to the development of brighter, clearer, and more energy-efficient TV and computer screens.
The researchers synthesized the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), or PEDOT polymer, a conjugated organic polymer, an advance they say could lead to more efficient, cheaper electronics. PEDOT is valued in electronics because of its transparency, ductility, and the stability of its conducting state. "It's one of the most successfully used semiconducting polymers on the planet, says ORNL's Bobby Sumpter. The researchers placed a precursor molecule onto a copper crystalline surface to create ordered arrays of the PEDOT polymer.
Although the researchers focused their research on the PEDOT polymer, they say the same approach could potentially be used to construct other well-defined polymers.
From Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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