Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) have recently come up with a new use for an existing electrical conductor, a material that allows electrical currents to flow through it. By changing its orientation inside devices, the material can now be turned into a thin-film isolator that blocks current, but that favors the transport of charges elsewhere. The material could be of great use to the transistor industry, and could ultimately lead to a number of improvements in building electronics readers and similar devices.

The innovative material is called solution-deposited beta-alumina, and its effects in the new setup are detailed in an advanced online issue of the respected scientific journal Nature Materials. The paper will also appear in print, in the November edition of the same magazine. “This form of sodium beta-alumina has some very useful characteristics,” the supervisor of the investigation work, JHU Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Howard E. Katz, says.

“The material is produced in a liquid state, which means it can easily be deposited onto a surface in a precise pattern for the formation of printed circuits. But when it's heated, it forms a solid, thin transparent film. In addition, it allows us to operate at low voltages, meani... (read more)