Poky plastic perks up [polymer semiconductor]

Material scientists in Britain and California have invented the first polymer semiconductor to perform almost as well as the type of silicon used to drive flat-panel displays. The new polymer was found to beat previous polymers by a factor of about six in terms of charge carrier mobility. Key to the team´s success is the fact that its polymer is also a liquid crystal, which means charge can travel more quickly. Although the liquid crystal approach has certainly improved polymer´s prospects, many research groups are hard at work improving the printability of small molecules.