Subscribe to our Nanotechnology Spotlight feed
A recent review takes a look at the progress of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and their potential applications in flexible electronics. The authors explore the recent progress of OFET technology and some of the exciting, flexible electronic applications addressed by it.
Ongoing smart contact lens research ranges from biosignal detection (intraocular pressure, glucose, cortisol) to therapeutic tools (aniridia, chronic ocular inflammation) and advanced features such as aumented reality displays and personalized designs using 3D-printing technology. Some of these technologies are already finding their way from the lab into commercial applications. The development of next-generation, smart contact lens technology is not just simply one field of bioelectronics but rather a complex, interdisciplinary effort that includes development of biocompatible materials; development of intuitive interfaces; and development of integration technologies capable of smart contact lens research.
The three-dimensional (3D) geometry of 3D-printed nanopixels can increase the emission brightness of display pixels, varying with the height of the pixels, and can be used to fabricate super high-resolution devices. 3D printing of perovskite nanopillars can be used for creating nanoscale display pixels as well and the increase of the emission intensity can be saturated by the limited depth of field of the measuring optical system.
Liquid crystal materials are ubiquitous in everyday life. Recently, a new way to create advanced liquid crystal materials by merging nanotechnology and liquid crystals was discovered: by adding nanoscale objects to liquid crystals, new materials with superior physical properties can be created. However, this raises an important question: How do nanoparticles affect ionic processes in liquid crystals? Here is an overview of recent advances in the understanding of ionic phenomena in liquid crystals doped with nanomaterials.
OLED technology is based on the phenomenon that certain organic materials emit light when fed by an electric current. OLED technologies makes it possible to manufacture ultra flat, very bright and power-saving OLED televisions, windows that could be used as light source at night, and large-scale organic solar cells. Since the development of the first viable OLED device in 1987, and tens of thousands of patents and research articles later, OLED device technology is moving towards its fourth generation.
Many of the electronic devices we use in our everyday life employ liquid crystals in their optical displays. Electric field induced orientational transitions of elongated liquid crystal molecules are at the heart of LC technologies. Changing the applied voltage controls the orientation of liquid crystals and their properties such as color. Scientists now report an experimental observation of the electro-optical effect that is completely opposite to the conventional guest-host effect: ferroelectric nanoparticles being switched by an external field mediate the switching of liquid crystals.
Perovskite QLEDs possess the features of wide gamut and real color expression; that's why they have been considered as very promising candidates for next-generation high-quality lighting and displays. However, device efficiency and stability of perovskite QLEDs has always been a major challenge. Researchers now report a new passivation technique that greatly enhances device performance and stability compared to single interface processing.
Researchers have fabricated nanoscale color pixels that utilize three-dimensional space to improve and control the brightness of individual pixels with nanoscale lateral dimensions. Specifically, this novel method utilizes 3D printing of vertically freestanding nanostructures containing red, green, or blue light-emitting quantum dots embedded in polymer nanowires. The emission brightness of the pixels linearly increases with the height of the pixels due to the increase in the number of quantum dots due to the increased volume. The 3D geometry enables a 2-fold increase in brightness without causing significant changes in the lateral dimensions of the pixel.