Conductive plastics have the advantages of plastics, such as light weight, good stretchability, elasticity and flexibility, and easy molding. At the same time, it has the advantages of metal-good conductivity. Because of these advantages, it can replace metal as a universal transmission conductor. And because it can be made very finely, it can do a lot in the field of microelectronics-for example, it can be used in more and more dense and miniaturized integrated circuits. At present, mass-produced conductive plastics have been widely used in microelectronics industry.
When conductive plastics are immersed in a complex solution, the energy of sunlight can be converted into electric energy, and its principle is similar to chlorophyll in plants. It can be used to make solar plastic films, cut according to the shape of buildings, and directly convert solar energy into electric energy for storage, which is very convenient. This kind of solar plastic film was used in polymer solar cells, and it was studied at the end of the 20th century. It improves the efficiency of converting solar energy into electric energy to about 3%. Once it reaches a higher level, its low cost will have a bright future.
The vigorous development of nanotechnology promotes the research of conductive plastics. The United States has successfully developed a new type of plastic solar cell by using plastic nanotechnology. Its electrode thickness is only the thickness of hair, but it can continuously provide 0.7 volts.
Using the characteristics of conductive plastic absorbing electromagnetic waves, it can be made into a shielding device to prevent electromagnetic interference, which is very portable. At present, conductive plastics that can be made very thin also have other excellent characteristics such as bending. Baeuerle believes that applying it to computers will hopefully further reduce the size of computers and improve their running speed.
Recently, scientists have made plastic transistors to challenge monocrystalline silicon. If germanium and silicon can be replaced by conductive plastics, it will lead to a computer revolution, which has the advantages of low price and easier processing.
For these developments, Kazuo Akagi even said with some sadness, "Maybe we can put high-performance computers into watches as the Royal Swedish Academy of Science said."
Even more surprising, scientists have developed superconducting plastics-the resistance is zero at MINUS 270℃. This puts forward a new topic for the theoretical research of superconducting physics, and its potential practical value is limitless.
The plastic battery being developed by scientists in China. Light weight-only 1/20 of lead-acid battery, long service life, large current supply, power density about 20 times higher than that of traditional lead-acid battery, and stable and reliable performance. This "battery revolution" will eventually make pollution-free, low-noise and oil-saving electric bicycles and electric vehicles widely used.
1990, Frand of Cambridge University discovered that some organic polymers can emit light in an electric field. Organic light-emitting diodes made of conductive plastics are very thin, which have longer life, higher brightness, lower energy consumption and higher luminous efficiency than ordinary light-emitting diodes. American experts predict that by 2020, the use of this light-emitting diode will reduce the lighting power consumption in the United States by half, thus saving $654.38+000 billion a year and reducing the carbon dioxide emissions caused by the production of electricity by nearly 30 million tons. This LED can also be used to make flexible color display screens, which can be used in computers or televisions.
The invention of conductive plastics made three scientists * * * climb the podium of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and * * * enjoyed a prize of 965,438 US dollars +0.37 million.
British physicist Thomson once said: "Of all the factors that can contribute to science, the breakthrough in thought is the biggest." The invention of conductive plastics is a typical example of "renewing ideas to produce results" and "seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages"
Wil rogersl said, "Nothing lasts forever." In the opposite direction, an insulator will become a conductor, which confirms this philosophy and explains the famous saying of the English poet Shelley (1792 ~ 1822): "Nothing can last long except change."
Using ceramics with good insulation as superconductors, changing hard and brittle ceramics into hard but not brittle, and adding metal to hard and brittle glass to make hard but not brittle metallic glass are all similar examples.