Printable Semiconducting Nano-ink
Printable Semiconducting Nano-ink
Researchers have developed a printable semiconducting ink, made with carbon nanotubes, which is capable of holding an electric charge.
One of the applications is "wireless checkout", replacing costly labour intensive cashier checkout. Current RFID tags, made with silicon, cost about 50 cents each to produce, so affixing one on every single item in most shops is not financially viable.
Researchers at Sunchon National University in Suncheon, South Korea and Rice University in Texas have developed a new RFID tag that can be printed directly on paper or plastic packaging, eliminating the need for silicon altogether and bringing the cost down to 3 cents a tag. The system is being refined with a view to packing more data into smaller tags and bringing the cost down to one cent per tag.