Epsom, UK, 9th February 2017 / Sciad Newswire / Now is the time for the consumer electronics industry to adopt plastic electronics as new devices are set to revolutionise parts of the industry.  Benefits will include significantly lower costs, less material waste, lower energy consumption during manufacture, novel physical properties and increased sustainability.

InnovationDB, the world’s largest licensable IP technology database, has carried out a comprehensive study of the production, development and application of plastic electronics. It looks at the big academic research institutes and industrial players, the commercial successes and failures, promising application areas and the challenges this sector needs to overcome.

CEO of InnovationDB, Gerald Law, commented: “The plastic electronics sector promises a mind-blowing array of new products and applications – this has thrown the entire sector into disarray. Plastic electronics is a step change in the way we use electronics at every point of the product lifecycle. The total market for plastic electronics is estimated to grow from $26.54 billion in 2016 to $69.03 billion in 2026[1].”

A small selection of smart phones and OLED TVs using plastic electronics technology are commercially available, with more on the way. Working prototypes of roll-up screens and plastic electronic biosensors have been demonstrated. Bendable smartphones, self-charging laptops and bio tattoos are on the brink of entering the real world.

Further applications of plastic electronics include:

• Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs): Currently these dominate the commercial environment, with possible applications in smart contact lenses monitoring blood glucose levels, augmentation of reality and vision correction or enhancement.
• Organic Thin-Film Transistors (OTFTs): These can be applied to make electronic skin, fitness trackers on the back of your hand, or “smart skin” instead of a smart watch, possible.
• Organic PhotoVoltaics (OVPs) or Organic Solar Cells: These enable the creation of inexpensive, lightweight and flexible solar cells. Mercedes-Benz currently uses a multi-voltaic spray-on solar paint using OPV technology on its G-Code concept car.

Plastic electronics uses organic semiconducting materials to create electronic devices, enabling circuits to be deposited or printed onto almost any surface or material, both rigid or flexible.

A summary of the report can be read here. 

ENDS

For further information, contact:

InnovationDB
Gerald Law, CEO
T: +44 (0) 330 323 0247
E: gerald.law@innovationdb.com

Media Relations, Sciad Communications
Richard Anderson, Managing Partner
T: +44 (0)20 7470 8801
E: Richard@sciad.com

Notes for Editors

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[1] Printed, Organic & Flexible Electronics Forecasts, Players & Opportunities 2016-2026. IDTechEx.