Organic Electronics
Viewpoints
2023
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February:
2022
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December/January:
2022: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2023 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
2021
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December/January:
2021: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2022 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
Advances in Single-Molecule Switches
Key Areas to Monitor: Nanomaterial-Enabled Systems and Charge-Carrier Mobility -
February:
Flexible Color Displays
Key Areas to Monitor: OLED Televisions and Flexible Displays
Archived Viewpoints
2020
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December/January:
2020: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2021 -
November:
Organic-Electronics Volume Manufacturing
Opportunities: Photovoltaic Solar Cells -
October:
Commercialization of Molecular Electronics
Organic Materials for Capacitors -
September:
Breakthrough Fabrication Technique for Organic Electronics
Synergistic Technologies for Organic Electronics -
August:
Organic Electronics for In Vivo Electrophysiology
Bioelectronic Sensors -
July:
Progress toward Photovoltaic Clothing
Investments in JOLED for Large-Screen Printed Displays -
June:
The Pandemic Crisis: Scenarios for the Future of Sensors and Electronics
Scenarios Presentation: The Pandemic Crisis: Scenarios for the Future of Technology Development
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May:
The Pandemic Crisis: Key Forces That Will Shape the Future of Sensors and Electronics
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April:
Progress toward Reliable Organic Semiconductors
A New Way to Produce Conductive Polymers -
March:
Cable Bacteria and Protein Nanowires
Moist Electricity Generators -
February:
2019
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December/January:
2019: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2020 -
November:
Transient, Biodegradable, and Recyclable Electronics
Samsung's "Graphene-Battery" Phone -
October:
Fully Printed Flexible Organic Electronics
Low-Cost Indoor Photovoltaic Cells -
September:
Complementary Plastic Semiconductors
Organic-Electronic-Paper Displays -
August:
Organic-Semiconductor Laser Diodes
Overcoming Folding-OLED Teething Troubles -
July:
Materials for Efficient Blue OLEDs
Turning Objects into Electronic Devices with Laser-Induced Graphene -
June:
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May:
Intelligent Materials Discovery
Machine Learning for Organic-Semiconductor Materials Manufacturing -
April:
Organic Camera and Photosensor Chips
Electrically Controllable Shape-Changing Actuators -
March:
Artificial Neurons and Synapses for Computing and Sensing
Farming Thermoelectric Cellulose -
February:
2018
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December/January:
2018: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2019 -
November:
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October:
Organic-Electronic Smart Textiles
Emerging Printed-Electronics Technologies -
September:
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August:
OLED-Display-Production Joint Ventures
New Organic PV Efficiency Record -
July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
2017
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December/January:
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November:
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October:
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September:
Perovskite-Solar-Cells Update
Display Manufacturers to Begin Using OTFTs -
August:
Photovoltaic Smart Windows
Electrodes for Water Purification -
July:
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June:
Dissolvable Organic Electronics
Developments in the OLED-Display Industry -
May:
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April:
Photovoltaic Retinal Implants
Developments in Flexible-Display Manufacturing -
March:
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February:
Sony Embraces OLED for Televisions
Flexible, Stretchable Transistors
2016
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December/January:
2016: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2017 -
November:
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October:
Engineered Sand for Heat Dissipation
Improved Temperature Stability for Organic Supercapacitors -
September:
New Molecules for Making Blue OLEDs
Wearable Hydrogel Touch Pad -
August:
New Flexible Memory Technology
Electronic Threads for Smart Sutures -
July:
First Steps in Smart Textiles
Signs of a Coming Boom in the OLED-Materials Industry -
June:
Creating Electronic Materials from Coal
Self-Healing Organic Dielectrics -
May:
LG to Build OLED-Lighting Plant
Polysolar: New Entrant to Organic-PV Market -
April:
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March:
Flexible Deformable Pressure Sensors
New Record Efficiency for Organic PV -
February:
L'Oreal Announces Stretchable UV-Monitoring Patch
Apple Shifting to Using OLED Displays
2015
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December/January:
2015: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2016 -
November:
Self-Wrapping 3D Electronics
Growing Vertical Organic Semiconductors -
October:
US Government Funds Flexible-Hybrid-Electronics-Innovation Institute
Simpler OLEDs? -
September:
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August:
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July:
Canatu Unveils Roll-to-Roll-Printed Carbon-NanoBud Films
Effects of Deformation on Organic Transistors -
June:
Graphene Lightbulbs
Is Apple Contemplating Switching to OLED? -
May:
Developments in Battery-Technology Research
Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge Curved Screen in Bend Test -
April:
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March:
World's Thinnest Device-Integrated AMOLED Display
Consumer-Grade Conductive Inks -
February:
2014
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December/January:
2014: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2015 -
November:
New SmartKem Product for Flexible Electronics
Competition to Transparent Displays -
October:
Printed RFID Tags
Organic Materials for Transparent Conductive Applications -
September:
Organic Solar Cells Move into the Building-Integrated-Photovoltaics Market
Organic Electronics for Custom Wearables -
August:
Electrochromic Irises
Sensing with Speed: Plastic Electronics -
July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
2013
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December/January:
2013: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2014 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
2012
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December/January:
2012: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2013 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
2011
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December/January:
2011: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2012 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
2010
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December/January:
2010: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2011 -
November:
Electroactive Polymers: Developers, Approaches, and Applications
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October:
Organic and Printed Electronics at European Chemicals Companies
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September:
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August:
Printed and Flexible Electronics Integration: System in Foil?
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
Not-So-Light Work: Developing Roll-to-Roll Processes for Making OLED Lighting
2009
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December/January:
2009: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2010 -
November:
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October:
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September:
Forward: The Latest Roadmap for Organic and Printed Electronics
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August:
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July:
Organic Semiconductors: Enabling the Next Generation of Electronic Devices
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
2008
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December/January:
2008: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2009 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
Power from the Sun: Recent Progress in Organic Photovoltaics
2007
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December/January:
2007: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2008 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
Carbon Nanotubes as Transparent Electrodes
Printed OLED Displays from DuPont -
July:
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June:
Stylishly Slim: OLED Televisions from Sony and Toshiba
Near-Term Pain for the OLEDDisplay Industry -
May:
GE, Konica Minolta to Collaborate on OLED Lighting
Lumicure's Healing Light -
April:
OLED Displays: An Update
Sensors: A New Application for Printed Electronics -
March:
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February:
2006
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December/January:
2006: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2007 -
November:
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October:
Light Fantastic: A Breakthrough in White OLEDs
BASF's Organic-Electronics Initiative -
Before October 2006, the Organic Electronics technology area was Conductive Polymers.
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September:
Areas to Monitor
Announcement: Conductive Polymers Becomes Organic Electronics -
August:
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July:
A Soluble Problem: Making Small-Molecule OLED Materials Solution Processable
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
2005
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December/January:
2005: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2006 -
November:
Solution-Processable Small-Molecule Semiconductors
Recent Developments: Toward Inexpensive RFID Tags -
October:
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September:
Conductive Polymers in Touch Screens
A New Owner for Philips's PolyLED Display Business -
August:
Electronic Paper: An Update
Large-Area Displays: POLED or SMOLED? -
July:
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June:
The Stuff of Memory
Recent Developments: Progress in Polymer Light-Emitting Diode Displays -
May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
2004
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December/January:
2004: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2005 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
Recent Developments: Smart Polyaniline Membranes | Advances in Plastic Electronic Devices
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April:
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March:
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February:
2003
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December/January:
2003: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2004 -
November:
Implications of Change
Recent Developments: Facile Synthesis of Novel Conductive Polymer Ink -
October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
Micromuscle's New Design Products
Players: Performance of Alpha MOS -
February:
2002
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December/January:
2002: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2003 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
Plastic Conductive Polymer Solar Cells: A Promising Outlook but a Long Way to Go
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
2001
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December/January:
2001: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2002 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
2000
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December/January:
2000: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2001 -
November:
Intrinsically Conductive Polymer CounterElectrodes in Commercial Capacitors
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October:
Emerging Tunable Solid-State Conductive-Polymer Laser Technology
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
Conductive Thermoplastic Compounds for ESD and EMI/RFI Applications
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February:
Electroactive Polymers as Multifunctional Actuators and Devices
1999
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December/January:
1999: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 2000 -
November:
European LEP-Display Technology
Recent Developments: Conductive Polymer Capacitors -
October:
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September:
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August:
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Before August 1999, the Explorer service was called TechMonitoring, and Viewpoints were TechLinks.
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July:
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June:
New Dissipative Plastics in Electronic Packaging
Self-Powered Smart Electrochromic Windows -
May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
1998
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December/January:
1998: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 1999 -
November:
Polymer Electrolyte Science and Technology
Recent Developments: Light-Emitting Polymer Technology -
October:
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September:
Intrinsically Conducting Polymer Composite Radar-Absorbing Materials
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
1997
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December/January:
1997: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 1998 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
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June:
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
1996
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December/January:
1996: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 1997 -
November:
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October:
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September:
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August:
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July:
The Elusive Conductive Polymers Industry
Recent Developments: AlliedSignal Patents to Monsanto -
June:
[[pi]]-Conjugated Polymers with Electronic and Optical Functions
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May:
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April:
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March:
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February:
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December/January:
1995: The Year in Review
Look for These Developments in 1996
About Organic Electronics
Most materials that have desirable electrical or electronic properties are metals or inorganic compounds such as copper, silver, gold, doped silicon, or indium tin oxide (tin-doped indium oxide). This Technology Map focuses on organic electronic materials: carbon-based chemicals and polymers that exhibit electrical conductivity, semiconductivity, electroluminescence, or photovoltaic properties. Examples of organic electronic materials include light-emitting small molecules and polymers, organic semiconductors, and conductive polymers.
Much of the interest in organic materials is due to a fairly mundane attribute: their potential for use in low-cost, high-volume manufacturing processes. Organic electronic materials play a key role in reducing production costs for flat-panel televisions, flexible displays, RFID tags, and other electronic devices. In addition, these materials offer design flexibility because of their compatibility with flexible and rigid substrates.
This technology has the potential for widespread application and could lead to ubiquitous, inexpensive—even disposable—electronic devices. Industry players include both large, diversified powerhouses of the materials and consumer-electronics industries and start-ups that focus on a single technology application. Current commercial products include OLED displays for smartphones all the way up to large-screen televisions, capacitors, electroluminescent lamps, and static-control coatings. Emerging end uses include solar cells, lighting, and printed RFID tags for logistics tracking and monitoring.