Flexible electronic devices with Nano technology
A discovery by a research team at North Dakota State University, Fargo, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), shows that the flexibility and durability of carbon nanotube films and coatings are intimately linked to their electronic properties. The research could one day impact flexible electronic devices such as solar cells and wearable sensors. The research also provided a promising young high school student the chance to work in the lab with world-class scientists, jumpstarting her potential scientific career. The NDSU/NIST research team, led by Erik Hobbie, Ph.D., is working to determine why thin films made from metallic single-wall carbon nanotubes are superior for potential applications that demand both electronic performance and mechanical durability. "One simple reason is that the metallic nanotubes tend to transport charge more easily when they touch each other," said Hobbie. "But another less obvious reason has to do with how much the