Scientists have created the world's first wooden transistor: operating at a frequency of about 1Hz
CTOnews.com May 2 news, the core component of electronic devices is the transistor, which can control the current switch and size, so as to achieve a variety of calculation and signal processing functions. At present, the main material of transistors is silicon, because it has good semiconductor properties and can produce high-performance transistors on a micro scale. However, with the development of electronic technology, silicon transistors are also facing some challenges, such as manufacturing cost, energy consumption, environmental impact and so on. Therefore, scientists have been looking for new alternative materials in order to break the performance limit of transistors.
Recently, a research team from the Royal Swedish Institute of Technology and Lin Xueping University successfully used conductive wood to make transistors for the first time. This kind of transistor can not only use current to control current, but also has the advantages of degradable, sustainable, low cost and so on. The innovation is published in the journal Nature Electronics.
The research team chose Basha wood as the raw material because of its uniform and untextured structure. They first removed lignin from the wood to make it transparent. They then coated the wood with a layer of polyethylene dithiophene polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), a conductive polymer material. Finally, they added metal electrodes to both ends of the wood to form a complete transistor.
The transistor works by using holes in the PEDOT:PSS layer (CTOnews.com note: the location where electrons are missing) to conduct current. When the applied voltage changes, the concentration of the hole will also change, thus affecting the current through the wood, thus realizing the function of regulating the current.
The research team tested the performance of the transistor and found that it could work at a frequency of about 1Hz. Although this frequency is much lower than that of modern silicon transistors, it is a very impressive result for a 1 mm long channel. Moreover, the transistor can be turned off in 5 seconds and turned on in 1 second, showing good switching characteristics.
The research team said that there is still a lot of room for improvement in the wooden transistor, such as optimizing the structure, improving electrical conductivity, reducing the size, and so on. They believe that such transistors will not replace silicon transistors in the field of high-performance computing, but may play a role in some specific application scenarios. For example, in some electronic devices with low power consumption, the use of wooden transistors can achieve the goal of biodegradability and environmental protection. In addition, this kind of transistor may also be suitable for some special electronic display technologies, such as smart glass, smart tags, electronic paper, etc., which can achieve simple computing functions in a very thin and flexible form, and require very little power.
In addition, this study also provides inspiration and reference for other biological or plant-based electronic technologies. Wooden transistors may be more able to withstand the impact of high current than ordinary organic transistors, thus improving reliability and stability.
This study not only shows the potential and prospect of wood as a new type of electronic material, but also opens a new way for the material revolution of electronic devices.
