Complementary to traditional electronics developed around silicon, and representing a genuine technology break, printable electronics uses essentially organic materials to print electronic components on a wide range of supports, including thin and flexible substrates. Components can in this way be produced very efficiently (large quantities, low cost), opening up a vast range of new mass market applications.

A major research field, a promising and rapidly developing market

Whilst sales in this emerging industry are still marginal, prospects are highly promising, with revenues from the organic components industry set to run into EUR billions by 2015, mainly in signing, lighting and new generation printed circuits.

 Three key applications have been selected.

• Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs), with two main fields of application:
  • flat screens, offering better angle of vision, contrast, response time and cost performance than competing LCD and plasma technologies;
  • lighting, with new possibilities for diffuse, low energy light sources.
    
• Organic Field Effect Transistors (OFETs) for use in particular in screen control panels, flexible electronic paper and radio labels (RFID = radio-frequency identification), etc.
  
• Printable memories for storing data for various applications (intelligent chipcards, active labels, etc.)

Solvay is seeking to position itself as a supplier of very high added value materials for these applications of the future.   

A “shared” innovation strategy (Open innovation)