Plastic electronics: Ushering in the next generation of technology
From cat's whisker detectors in the early 20th century to the electronic circuit chips in modern cell phones, electronic devices have been modified in a variety of creative ways to suit the needs of mankind. In addition to increasing the efficiency of commonly used semiconductors such as silicon, recent research has focused on researching cheaper semiconductor materials. In line with these requirements, a recent publication in Nature Materials has successfully optimized inexpensive semiconductor materials that are very similar in composition to plastic to conduct electricity more efficiently than before. Solar cells have the ability to convert sunlight into electrical energy. This is a renewable energy source, and scientists have tried to make solar cells more efficient in order to maximize the use of the sunlight we receive. While silicon is a widely used semiconductor material in modern solar cells, much research has been directed towards experimenting with combinatio