University of Cambridge, Dept of Physics

FlexEnable spearheads another breakthrough in flexible electronics

FlexEnable has successfully validated a new class of high performance organic semiconductors in a million pound project funded by Innovate UK.

CPI to print low cost energy harvesting device

The Centre for Process Innovation has announced a new project to develop a novel printed energy harvesting device that is powered by near-field communication.

Highlights from Europe's Largest Event on Printed Electronics

By Raghu Das, CEO, IDTechEx - The 11th annual IDTechEx Printed Electronics Europe event in Berlin was a huge success thanks to our customers and partners, with attendees coming from 47 countries! This is the largest show on the topic in Europe and, more importantly, more adopters, OEMs and technology providers announced products and showed off their impressive solutions.

Low-impact hub generates electrical current from pure plant power

Green wall technology and semi-transparent solar panels have been combined to generate electrical current from a renewable source of energy both day and night.

Multi-million pound driverless car challenge

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable and Transport Minister Claire Perry officially launched a regulatory review of driverless cars and the Government's 'Introducing Driverless Cars' competition.

Watts up - aeroplanes go hybrid-electric

An aircraft with a parallel hybrid engine - the first ever to be able to recharge its batteries in flight - has been successfully tested in the UK.

Future batteries: lithium-sulfur with a graphene wrapper

Lithium-sulfur batteries are of great commercial interest because they boast theoretical specific energy densities considerably greater than those of their already-well-established cousin, lithium ion batteries.

New research lights the way to super-fast computers

Researchers have discovered a material that could use light to bring together different computing functions into one component, leading to all-optical systems.

Simulation method identifies materials for better batteries

Researchers have devised a new simulation technique which reliably predicts the structure and behaviour of different materials, in order to accelerate the development of next-generation batteries for a wide range of applications.

Graphene and related materials promise cheap, flexible printed cameras

Dr Felice Torrisi, University Lecturer in Graphene Technology, has been awarded a Young International Researchers' Fellowship from the National Science Foundation of China to look at how graphene and two-dimensional materials could enable printed and flexible eyes.

Flexible backplane technologies for OLED displays

Flexible OLED displays have been in the making for the past several years. We have already witnessed many prototypes but the technology challenges have persisted and prevented full scale commercialisation. The technology challenges are now nearly solved and all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Already, we have seen mass manufactured mobiles phones on plastic substrates as well as examples of commercial curved (not yet fully flexible) displays.

Government investment drives UK lead in IoT

A consortium of more than 40 UK-based technology companies funded by the UK's innovation agency, Technology Strategy Board, has delivered on the first phase of its initiative to accelerate the widespread move to the Internet of Things.

New PhD analyst expands IDTechEx coverage in China

Dr Xiaoxi He is a physicist with a background in emerging technologies including organic electronics.

Findings from Supercapacitors Europe 2014

IDTechEx's Supercapacitor Europe 2014 conference brought together the best of supercapacitor developments in the region and internationally in Berlin on 1-2 April last week.

Revolutionary solar cells double as lasers

Latest research finds that the trailblazing 'perovskite' material used in solar cells can double up as a laser, strongly suggesting the astonishing efficiency levels already achieved in these cells is only part of the journey.

Components to advance battery technology

Johnson Controls and Fraunhofer Gesellschaft have signed a collaboration agreement to develop the next generation of more energy efficient, cost effective cooling systems for vehicle batteries.

Moss powered FM radio

Designer Fabienne Felder in collaboration with Dr. Paolo Bombelli from the University of Cambridge has created Moss FM, the world's first plant-powered radio.

Graphene for printed electronics

Graphene, the ultrathin, ultraconductive, flexible material that everyone is talking about, is maturing just in time for its use in the printed electronics industry.

Lifting the lid on silicon batteries

Resolving the mystery of what happens inside batteries when silicon comes into contact with lithium could accelerate the commercialisation of next-generation high capacity batteries, for use in mobile phones and other applications.

World's most demanding electric bus route

Baroness Kramer, the UK's Minister of State for Transport, has officially launched an all-electric bus route that will test whether electric buses can perform on a par with their diesel counterparts in a real-world operational environment.