In the coming future, the world of electronics may change significantly as they start to get manufactured from carbon instead of silicon. This change may lead to a new generation of medical devices, sensors, and robots. Electric devices may soon start using graphene, which would lead to an entirely new form of ‘chemical’ computing and information storage.
Traditional electronics are those that are based on solid silicon, used to create semiconductors. These are inorganic, meaning does not contain carbon. On the contrary, organic electronics are those which use carbon-based molecules. These are either small molecules or polymers, which are a long chain of molecules. Most biological compounds are inorganic in nature and so are substances made from hydrocarbons like plastics, petrochemicals, and oils. Usually, polymers are thought of as non-conductive, like plastic polymers used to manufacture copper wires. However, organic polymers and molecules are conductive.
Organic compounds have several advantages over inorganic compounds. They are lighter, more flexible, and transparent. All these characteristics are mostly different from classical silicon technology in addition to being cheaper to produce.
Variety is present in organic compounds and functional groups, which are essentially clusters of atoms with their properties. It is an easy task to tune organic compounds’ electronic properties by adding functional groups. Functional groups are found of both types – electron-withdrawing and electron-donating. Combining both these types can help in tuning properties precisely for making light-emitting diodes. Light absorbed by them can also be controlled to be used as components in solar cells. Their sensor properties can also be tuned to conduct electricity in the presence of something that needs to be detected.
This technology is used mostly in screen technology. Organic LEDs are increasingly used in cell phones and televisions. Liquid Crystal Devices (LCDs) can also be considered a form of organic electronics used in applications for many years. Their use in photovoltaic devices is a significant advantage. Although silicon-based technology is more efficient and has long term stability, it is costly to make, and it is also hard to control its morphology. Due to this, organic photovoltaics has an advantage as it can be made very thin, and one can make devices from it that can cover a large area. Moreover, they are also very flexible, which is essential for applications like large light-emitting displays and solar panels.
Although organic electronics have several advantages in their bag, some issues need to be solved, which would make the technology easier to use in manufacturing. It cannot be easily mass-produced. Its long-term stability is still in question, like present in a photovoltaic device exposed to sunlight for more than 20 years. Their resilience will not be on par with inorganic compounds. Furthermore, their performance in solar cells is also lower.
The experts in the field expect this technology to be used in the biological world and robotics. They might be used to make robots look like a normal animal or human being. There uses are ever-increasing, and due to their futuristic applicability, the Organic Electronics Market is expected to increase.
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