Back-to-school September has brought many good news and new publications! We’ve had a hard time choosing our top stories this month, but finally we bring you a fine selection of the printed electronics news. From breaking one of the last barriers in flexible electronics (making flexible transistors!) to a new material that mixes cellulose engineering with synthetic biology. Read them below and, as always, leave a comment or give us a shout on Twitter or Facebook if you have any suggestions!

Just a quick side-note: we are currently preparing the launch of a Call for Ideas, to look for ideas that take advantage of our integrated paper-electronics platform. If you are interested, subscribe to our mailing list and be the first to know all about it!

Cellulose fibres join spiders’ web and gives birth to resilient material

Manufacturing a material that is both strong and stretchable is one of the main challenges that material science researchers face at the moment. By mixing wood cellulose obtained from birch tree pulp with spider silk proteins. But don’t worry, no spiders were harmed in this research. The protein is extracted from engineered bacteria that produce it. The discovery has been led by our partners VTT and Aalto University, read more here!

European pilot line opens its doors!

Our fellow European project PI-SCALE project has come to an end with excellent results, like creating the world’s longest OLED strip using roll-to-roll. Another result is especially interesting to printed electronics manufacturers. The project has just opened a pilot line service for flexible organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The pilot line is called LYTEUS and is able to supply industrial companies with customized flexible OLED lighting modules, supporting the development of new innovative products. Interested? Read more on Printed Electronics World and follow Lyteus on Social Media.

Credit: Lyteus

A flexible transistor for even more flexible electronics

One of the remaining hurdles in flexible electronics has been the transistor, but that may be changing. A team of Tufts University engineers have developed a transistor made from linen thread that could expedite the development of fully flexible electronic devices that conform to different shapes and allow free movement without compromising function. All the information, at Fierce Electronics.

Working on smart labels? Don’t miss the date!

AIPIA, the Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association, is holding its Annual Congress the 18th and 19th of November. It’s an excellent opportunity to see the latest advances in the field, so don’t miss it! Visit their webpage for more information.