Tech Briefs Magazine - April 2024 - 30

techniques allowing them to build the
printing device from scratch, including
the hardware and software.
The researchers have also developed a
new material concept that can heal itself
autonomously without the need for external
action. " This material consists of a
soft polymer matrix embedded with
magnetic particles with a remanent field.
For practical purposes, it is as if we had
small magnets distributed in the material,
so that, if it breaks, when the resulting
parts are brought together again, they
will physically join recovering their structural
integrity " , said González.
Thanks to these advances the team
was able to print three types of functional
materials: some that change their
shape and properties in response to external
magnetic fields; others with
self-healing capability; and others
whose electrical properties (conductivity)
vary according to their shape or deformation.
The
combination of materials with
self-healing capabilities and whose electric
conduction properties vary with deformation
opens enormous possibilities
in the development of sensors and soft
robots.
For more information, contact Fco.
Javier Alonso at oic@uc3m.es; 916-249035.
An
Affordable, Sustainable Solution for Flat-Panel Displays
and Wearable Tech
New 3D-printable material could enable cheaper, less toxic manufacturing processes for
next-gen OLED televisions, smartphones, lighting, and wearable devices.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Alameda County, CA
A
research team led by Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory
(Berkeley Lab) has developed " supramolecular
ink, " a new technology for use in
OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays
or other electronic devices. Made
of inexpensive, Earth-abundant elements
instead of costly scarce metals, supramolecular
ink could enable more affordable
and environmentally sustainable flat-panel
screens and electronic devices.
" By replacing precious metals with
Earth-abundant materials, our supramolecular
ink technology could be a
game changer for the OLED display
industry, " said principal investigator
Peidong Yang, a Faculty Senior Scientist
in Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences
Division and Professor of Chemistry
and Materials Science and Engineering
at UC Berkeley. " What's even more
exciting is that the technology could
also extend its reach to organic printable
films for the fabrication of wearable
devices as well as luminescent art
and sculpture, " he added.
If you have a relatively new smartphone
or flat panel TV, there's a good
chance it features an OLED screen.
OLEDs are rapidly expanding in the
display market because they are lighter,
thinner, use less energy, and have better
picture quality than other flat-panel
technologies. That's because OLEDs
contain tiny organic molecules that emit
light directly, eliminating the need for
the extra backlight layer that is found in
a liquid crystal display (LCD). However,
OLEDs can include rare, expensive metals
like iridium.
30
Eiffel Tower-shaped luminescent structures 3D-printed from supramolecular ink. Each 2-centimeter-tall
device is fabricated from supramolecular ink that emits blue or green light when
exposed to 254-nanometer ultraviolet light. (Image: Peidong Yang and Cheng Zhu/Berkeley Lab.
Courtesy of Science)
But with the new material - which
the Berkeley Lab team recently described
in a new study published in the
journal Science - electronics display
manufacturers could potentially adopt
a cheaper fabrication process that also
www.techbriefs.com
requires far less energy than conventional
methods.
The new material consists of powders
containing hafnium (Hf) and zirconium
(Zr) that can be mixed in solution at low
temperatures - from room temperaTech
Briefs, April 2024

http://www.techbriefs.com

Tech Briefs Magazine - April 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tech Briefs Magazine - April 2024