Integral Technologies Inc. (fka ITKG)

[gktignol]

Is the future in plastics?

http://www.ipc.org/ImaginePub/is-the-future-in-plastics.asp


Proponents of conductive polymers predict they will revolutionize the electronics industry. Even the skeptics say they will have a major effect.

by John Buchanan

After 30 years of analysis and theoretical discourse in research labs and academic circles, plastic electronics — better known today as conductive polymers and used in increasingly popular applications such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) — might just be on the road to mainstream adoption. In addition to innovative OLED applications, conductive polymers have also been engineered into new photovoltaic diodes and circuits.

Their unique benefits, such as being lightweight, flexible and non-corrosive, were even touted to the British House of Commons in June, by a University of Cambridge professor who has been at the forefront of the science that supports a growing global market initiative.

“There is huge potential for these technologies, but they are still in their infancy,” says Don Little, director of business management systems and issues management at Dow Automotive in Auburn Hills, Mich. In the mid-1990s, Little led some of the efforts that created early generations of the conductive plastics being used now. He helped invent a conductive plastic that could be sprayed on electrostatically.

Today, two kinds of conductive polymers are driving the current wave of new applications, according to Tom Aisenbrey, chief technical officer at Integral Technologies Inc. One is called “doped resin,” which means some metallic materials have been added for extra conductivity. The other is a conjugated polymer, where the “carbon backbone” is used as the conductor.

The newest doped resin polymers can handle household electricity. Conjugated polymers are not yet consistently able to carry a substantial current, says Aisenbrey, who has filed for 18 patents related to the new technology. Most are related to his development of ElectriPlast, a doped resin that combines the conductivity of metal with the lightness and malleability of plastic. One of its most promising early applications has been in better antennas for cell phones and other wireless devices.

At Konarka Technologies Inc. in Lowell, Mass., its PowerPlastic, a roll-to-roll printed material on plastic substrate, is being used in collaboration with OEM customers to develop improved applications such as cutting edge photovoltaic technology, which converts sunlight to electricity. Specifically, Konarka is now working with the U.S. Army to create a self-lighting photovoltaic tent that could reduce the need for heavy generators in the field. Konarka is also working with OEM clients on applications such as solar battery chargers for cell phones, PDAs and laptop computers.

The First Major Application
Despite more creative applications such as displays for e-books, or new medical products such as “intelligent bandages,” Aisenbrey says the first major market application for plastic electronics will be in shielding. As an example, he says, now that airlines are obsessed with their need to reduce weight as a way of saving fuel, the alternative of plastic shielding on a commercial jetliner could reduce the plane’s weight by hundreds and even thousands of pounds. Each pound of weight reduction saves 14,000 gallons of fuel a year, the airline industry recently reported.

Kevin Closson, an analyst at Tolland, Conn.-based research and advisory firm Nerac, believes another early wave of activity will be in “the creation of hybrids that combine conductive polymers with normal, inorganic electronics.” An example is next-generation displays. He also says the U.S. military will be on the leading edge of plastic electronics. “I think they will have a lot of good uses for this kind of technology because two of their key challenges are simplicity of operation and low power needs.”

Obstacles to Market
One of the biggest challenges for organizations longing for the widespread adoption of conductive polymer technologies is their ability to mass produce the materials in an efficient and cost effective manner,” says Dan Williams, vice president of product and business development at Konarka Technologies. “The ability to process and apply these new materials is very specialized,” he says. “The other challenge is the ability to scale it up and manufacture in large quantities.”

Closson concurs. “Developing the equipment and expertise on a production scale is the only major obstacle I see,” he says. “But it’s a big one.”

Aisenbrey sees yet another stumbling block: resistance from veteran engineers and others in the industry. “You’re changing so many different things by molding plastics,” he says. “Engineers have been trained to design things and work with metals, but now you come along and say you can mold all these things. That becomes pretty job-threatening. It’s a very disruptive technology.”

Nevertheless, Aisenbrey and other observers believe after three decades, plastic electronics will finally start to live up to all the hyperbole. “In every arena of application there is, from airplanes, cars and boats to medical to satellites, there is an infinite need for these new materials in all of them,” Aisenbrey says. “That is going to be driven by their unique advantages.”