For decades, researchers have been trying to craft electronics that use plastics instead of metal to transmit currents. Researchers have developed a new plastic that conducts electricity, may be simpler to manufacture than other conductive plastics and easily accommodates chemical attachments to create new materials.

Oligotron polymers are made of tiny bits of material that possess a conducting center and two non-conducting end pieces. The end pieces allow the plastic bits to dissolve in solvents and accommodate specialized molecules. In addition to the potential savings in weight and cost, conducting polymers could be manufactured in a variety of convenient shapes, yielding such innovations as fabrics that transmit data, and incredibly thin video displays. Recent discoveries have resulted in a water-soluble conducting polymer called PEDOT (polyethylenedioxythiophene), yet water can corrode device parts during manufacturing and shorten the lifespan of the end product.

Oligotron contains a PEDOT center soluble in non-corrosive chemicals and can attach new compounds to its end pieces, adding a variety of functions. For example, researchers have proposed end pieces that convert solar energy into electricity, ultimately creating a novel solar cell material. Oligotron also has special properties that allow the material to be "printed" into various device shapes. When technicians shine a pattern of ultraviolet light, such as a complex circuit image onto a film of dissolved Oligotron, the exposed areas of plastic become "fixed" like a photograph. Flexible and lightweight, the circuit is also fully functional. This polymer can be used in applications for the product that range from flexible television displays and smart cards to antistatic treatments and conducting fabrics.

The reactive chemical groups on the ends of the Oligotron molecules will allow other scientists to synthesize new molecules, building additional functionality onto the molecule. These molecules will allow chemists to use their creativity to invent new materials with conducting polymers. Flat-panel displays are probably the largest market for organic electronic materials. The development of soluble polymers could have a large impact on the cost and ease of processing these displays. This is a significant breakthrough: a soluble and highly conductive multi-block copolymer, with its ability to be photo-crosslinked, could lead to a printable conducting polymer with a high conductivity.

(Oligotron is developed with National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR). The electrically condustive polymer developed by TDA Research in Wheat Ridge, USA)