Roll up TV screen soon and chill out

London: sIn what could herald an era of bendable screens, researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a novel structure that can be used to produce thin, transparent and flexible digital displays for TV sets, smartphones and tablets. These can easily be rolled up and put away, rather than requiring a flat surface for storage and transportation.

The technology, detailed in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, harnesses bio-nanotechnology to emit a full range of colours in one pliable pixel layer - as opposed to the several rigid layers that constitute today's screens. By using only one layer, one can minimise production costs dramatically which will lead to lower prices for consumers as well. In the field of bio-nanotechnology, scientists utilise these building blocks to develop novel technologies with properties not available for inorganic materials such as plastic and metal.

Using methods such as electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography, the researchers discovered that three of the molecules they synthesised could self-assemble, in a few minutes, into ordered structures. The structures were found to emit light in every colour, as opposed to other fluorescent materials that shine only in one specific colour.