The perfect blend

Chemicals firm Solvay invests in its future with a mix of plastic electronics ventures, alongside its own in-house development work.

The company has backed a range of academic studies, R&D hubs and start-ups that fit with its vision of a plastic electronics future. Its most high profile involvements have been multimillion dollar injections into US firms Plextronics and Polyera, which are both developing materials for electronic production.

Solvay's investments branch across a range of plastic electronics technologies, from OLED display to organic photovoltaic. Solvay is aiming to position itself as a leading name in the industry, and is continuing to look for partner projects to expand its scope.

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Polymers are taking a share of the new touchscreen markets, as intense development focuses on alternatives to indium tin oxide (ITO).

Due to concerns over the supply of ITO, developers have been honing a range of alternatives for years. PEDOT: PSS is one such polymer, being fostered by companies like Heraeus and Agfa. The polymer has been developed further to remove its blue hue, so it can be used in applications such as tablets and e-readers.

Although it will take time for the replace of ITO to filter through, as it is already an entrenched technology, there are opportunities in new applications such as organic photovoltaics and other printed flexible devices.

Plastic electronics could equip society with the energy harvesting technologies needed to instil sustainability in products and buildings.

Devices such as dye-sensitised solar cells are being optimised to harvest supplementary power, being adapted for integration into buildings, electronics and clothing. Smart textiles with piezoelectronics are also being developed to help with mobile products.

Plugged in: energy harvesting looks at the current industry and developments in the field, and how current achievements outline the future of the technologies. +Plastic Electronics looks at the new products and applications that are already emerging, and investigates the range of technologies being created with applications already in mind, including piezoelectrics in clothing and solar powered electronic shelf labels. It also looks at the progress that has been made in realising the concept of sustained smart buildings, and investigates building integrated photovoltaics.

The latest Market watch investigates the use of energy harvesting products in society. As we consume more power globally, the technology offers the opportunity to reduce energy usage to create more sustainable societies.

Early examples of energy harvesting in plastic electronics include dye-sensitised solar cells, which has been integrated into products or buildings. These emerging products help developers to understand the appeal of such technologies in specific areas of the market. One further emerging area of the market is combined energy generation and storage (CEGS), applications for which range from microgeneration and storage for low light applications for mobile computing and self-sustaining sensors.

Several thin film PV suppliers such as Global Solar and PowerFilm are making inroads into the portable power markets, while other sectors include military use and clothing. Building integrated photovoltaics is another large area, with windows and roofing perfect for dye-sensitised solar cells.

In the news this issue, the UK plastic electronics industry is receiving further funding to realise the country's potential in the emergence of the technology. As well as receiving money from the Organic and Large Area Electronics (OLAE) programme, OLAE+, the national governments Technology Strategy Board is planning the announcement of a new technology competition for funding.

A research team at University of California Los Angeles have created an energy harvesting device for integration into LCD screens. The thin-film solar cell will convert light from a devices backlight into energy, which could lead to longer life in many portable products.

Also in this issue, Philips invests €40 million into its OLED manufacturing facilities in Aachen, Germany, as it starts to push forward its plans for OLED lighting, and Merck and Nano-C are attracting interest in their organic photovoltaic production, as they continue to offer more cost-effective solutions and higher power conversion rates.

The Semicon West convention was held on July 14th 2011, during which the FlexTech Alliance held its Extreme TechXPOT session, Printed/Flexible Electronics: Beyond R&D to Real Deal Technologies.

Companies that attended the session included Bosch, Boeing, DuPont, GE Global Research and Samsung. It was put together to demonstrate how the printed and flexible electronics industry is moving from R&D into volume manufacturing for practical applications.

Presentations were delivered by beneficiaries of FlexTech's R&D programs, and smaller start-ups, developing plastic electronics systems to the established microelectronics industry.