The Heat is On
Meet the world’s first heat-controlled transistor, created by a team from the Organic Electronics Laboratory at Linkoping University (1). Combining an ionic thermoelectric supercapacitor (ITESC) and an electrolyte-gated transistor, its sensitivity to heat is estimated to be over 100-times greater than traditional thermoelectric sensors. The inventors believe that the technology has potential as an inexpensive sensor in infrared cameras, and even in functional dressings, as a means to monitor the healing process.Credit: Thor Balkhed, Linkoping University, Sweden.
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- D Zhao et al., “Ionic thermoelectric gating organic transistors”, Nat Commun, 8 (2017).
A former library manager and storyteller, I have wanted to write for magazines since I was six years old, when I used to make my own out of foolscap paper and sellotape and distribute them to my family. Since getting my MSc in Publishing, I’ve worked as a freelance writer and content creator for both digital and print, writing on subjects such as fashion, food, tourism, photography – and the history of Roman toilets. Now I can be found working on The Analytical Scientist, finding the ‘human angle’ to cutting-edge science stories.
