Scientists discover material that can be made like a plastic but conducts like metal

 


Summary from the University of Chicago


A material that can be made like plastic but conducts electricity more like metal has been created by scientists. The research demonstrates how to make a material whose molecular fragments are jumbled and disorganized but can still very effectively conduct electricity. This goes against every conductivity rule we know about


The research, which was published on October 26 in Nature, demonstrates how to make a material whose molecular fragments are jumbled and disordered but can still very effectively conduct electricity. 


This goes against every conductivity rule we know about; to a scientist, it's like seeing a car drive at 70 mph on water. However, the finding may also be extremely useful. The process of inventing something revolutionary typically begins with the discovery of a brand-new material. 


John Anderson, senior author of the study and associate professor of chemistry at the University of Chicago, stated, "In principle, this opens up the design of a whole new class of materials that conduct electricity, are easy to shape, and are very robust in everyday conditions". "It basically suggests new possibilities for a very important technological group of materials", said J IA Z E X IE, the paper's first author (now at Princeton)


There Isn't A Solid Theory To Explain This

Conductive materials are absolutely necessary when making any electronic device, including an iPhone, solar panel, or television. There is no solid theory to explain this. Metals are by far the oldest and largest group of conductors: gold, copper, and aluminum. Using a chemical treatment known as "doping", which introduces various atoms or electrons through the material, researchers were then able to create organic conductors about 50 years later. This is good because these materials are more malleable and easier to process than conventional metals; however, the problem is that they aren't very stable. If they are subjected to moisture or the temperature rises too much, they may lose their ability to conduct electricity


However, the material's molecular structure is extremely disordered. Atoms or molecules are arranged in straight, tightly packed rows. "This cannot be explained by a solid theory". To try to understand how the material can conduct electricity, X IE, Anderson, and their lab collaborated with other university scientists


The end result is unprecedented for a material that conducts electricity. "You can mush it into place, and it conducts electricity", Anderson stated. "It's almost like conductive Play-Doh".


The discovery suggests a fundamentally novel design principle for electronics technology, which excites the researchers. They explained that conductors are so crucial that virtually every new development opens up new technological avenues. 


New processing options are one of the material's appealing features. Metals, for instance, typically need to be melted before they can be shaped into the right shape for a chip or device. This limits the things you can do with them because other parts of the device need to be able to withstand the heat required to process these materials


Because it can be produced at room temperature, the new material does not have these limitations. It can also be used in situations where engineers had limited options for developing new technology because a device or parts of a device had to withstand heat, acid or alkalinity, humidity, or both. 


Additionally, the team is investigating the various possible uses and forms of the material. X IE stated, "We think we can make it two-dimensional or three-dimensional, make it porous, or even add other functions by adding different linker or nodes" 

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