Technology front-end

May 22, 2020

More recently, the germans have developed a new material using carbon nanotubes and low-cost polymers. Perhaps in the near future, it could replace the scarce and expensive ITO conductors in capacitive touch screens, making it cheaper for consumers to buy electronics with touch screens!

In the past decade, touch screens have come to dominate the mobile and consumer electronics markets, and the momentum has been strong and shows no sign of abating.

Capacitive touch screens are common in consumer electronics, using ITO(nano indium tin metal oxide) conductors. ITO film has good electrical conductivity and transparency. Sprayed on glass, plastic and electronic display screens, it blocks harmful electronic radiation, ultraviolet and far-infrared radiation to the human body, while improving electrical conductivity and transparency. It is an ideal material for making touch screen conductor.

But indium is so low in nature that it is more expensive, so finding an alternative to ITO has become a prerequisite for touchscreen real dominance in the consumer electronics market. Now researchers are preparing to replace ITO with carbon nanotubes. The two materials are said to have very similar properties, but carbon nanotubes are much cheaper.

Researchers at the fraunhofer institute for manufacturing technology and automation in Stuttgart, Germany, developed the new electrode material, which is made from carbon nanotubes and low-cost polymers.

There are two layers of electrodes, one of which is a very cheap polyester, which is usually used to make plastic bottles. The other layer is a mixture of carbon nanotubes and a conductive polymer, which together form the surface of the substrate.

At present, plastic polymers are less durable than ITO because they are more vulnerable to humidity, pressure and ultraviolet light. But carbon nanotubes could go some way to solving this problem by hardening the polyester and holding the conductive polymer firmly in place through a mesh, making it more durable.

In addition to rare indium, ITO membranes are fragile and malleable, requiring processing in a vacuum and very expensive. Carbon, by contrast, is renewable, cheap, comes from a wide range of sources and is highly malleable, making it a better candidate for making touch screens than ITO. Ivica Kolaric also said they have started trial production to better develop and expand the use of carbon nanotube touch screens. (author's)

ก่อนหน้านี้

ติดต่อเรา

Author:

Ms. Yoyo Huang

อีเมล:

lcdsales@tonyalight.com

Phone/WhatsApp:

+8613590105437

ผลิตภัณฑ์ยอดนิยม

ข่าวบริษัท

LCD Controller คืออะไร?

October 17, 2023

แอปพลิเคชันจอแสดงผล LCD ที่สว่างไสวสูง

November 01, 2023