 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Electric
sponge promises color e-paper
Come
up with the right type of sponge and you have the main ingredient for a
new color display. The polymer gel has regularly-spaced microscopic holes that scatter light so it reflects only one wavelength, which makes the material appear a specific color. The color depends on the size of the holes.
The material is filled with a liquid electrolyte, and sending electricity through the material causes it to absorb the electrolyte and swell like a wet sponge. The voltage determines the amount of swelling and thus the color.
The color-changing process is fast and consistent. The material could be used to make pixels for reflective, high-contrast displays, including electronic paper.
Research paper:
Electroactive Inverse Opal: A Single Material for All Colors
Angewandte Chemie International Edition, published online December 3, 2008
Researchers' homepages:
Geoffrey A. Ozin research group
Andre C. Arsenault
Ian Manners
Related stories and briefs:
Muscling up color displays -- related research
Back to TRN December 22/29, 2008
View from the High Ground Q&A
How It Works
RSS Feeds:
News
| Blog
Ad links: Clear History
Buy an ad link
© Copyright Technology Research News 2000-2010. All rights reserved.
