Organic electronic devices offer significant benefits compared to silicon based alternatives - they are relatively cheap, lightweight and have the potential to be flexible.
Academic research into conducting polymers has blossomed since their initial discovery in the 1970s, and has since led to a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 (A.J. Heeger, A.G. MacDiarmid and H. Shirakawa) awarded for the discovery and development of conducting polymers. Initially only of academic interest, advances in areas such as computing and telecoms have revealed a host of new opportunities for the technology, particularly in energy, display and logic applications. Organic electronic devices offer significant benefits compared to traditional silicon based alternatives. They are relatively cheap, and could therefore be used almost anywhere, even on disposable items such as packaging. Lightweight, they are ideal for portable devices such as mobile phones or cameras, and they have the potential to be flexible and therefore could be woven into clothing, rolled up or folded. Currently leading the field is the OLED – the organic light emitting diode – commercially available technology already used in some mobile phones, digital cameras, and MP3 players. OLEDs offer enhanced performance over competing technologies such as LCD by extending viewing angle, improving colour intensity, and drawing less current. Other non-emissive display concepts set to launch soon include ‘electronic paper’ such as the ‘e-book’), and electronic shelf-edge displays for retail applications. Solar cell advances are proving equally interesting, not least because organic technology provides a cheap and green source of power. The concept of solar powered equipment is well established (eg calculators), but as the technology evolves it could, for example, be used to create flat, foldable power supplies for laptop computers or other portable devices. Logic is another area of interest – cheap, simple integrated circuits that could revolutionise everyday life. For example, by replacing bar codes with an organic electronic tag such as an RFID, supermarket purchases could be scanned automatically as the shopper leaves the building, rendering the checkout redundant. ‘Smart’ packaging is a further application, realised by using cheap yet sophisticated organic electronic sensors for brand protection, stock control or to indicate the ‘use by’ date. Although applications are seemingly endless, both technology and market are still in their infancy. When developing an entry strategy, potential players need to know whether current technologies can actually deliver, whilst also identifying realistic business development opportunities. Sagentia’s in-house expertise extends across the full range of organic technology applications, and is underpinned by real strategic and commercial knowledge. The company has carried out market entry and due diligence studies for an international chemicals company and product development work aimed at identifying new uses for this novel technology.
