Polymer electronics

Polymers are well known as structural materials and electrical insulators. However, some remarkable polymers show conducting or semiconducting electrical properties, providing the basis for a new approach to electronics. The key advantages of polymers are that they are easy to shape and process, and that their properties can be tuned by modifying their structures or processing. When a voltage is applied to a semiconducting polymer it emits light, providing the basis of a new technology for fiat-panel displays with excellent visibility. Initial applications could be for simple displays such as mobile phones, but very-large-area and even flexible displays are likely to follow. In addition to light-emitting diodes, polymer transistors and solar cells have been demonstrated together with conductors that can link these components. These elements provide the building blocks for electronics with unusual features such as the prospect of flexibility. Further advances can be expected from developing a deeper understanding of how the properties of these materials relate to their structure so that ultimately it should become possible to design materials with desired properties. The deposition of a range of polymer electronic devices by simple techniques such as printing is likely to extend the realm of electronics.