Swedish researchers developed and tested the world’s first wooden transistors. Teams of scientists from Linköping University and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm said:Modulation of electric current in wooden electrochemical transistors ” describes WECT (Wood electrochemical transistor), a wooden electrochemical transistor.

The researchers note that although their parameters cannot be compared to conventional silicon transistors, the creation of similar solutions from wood paves the way for “green” biodegradable electronics. And wood electronics can provide “electronic control over living plants.”

If the size of transistors in modern industry is calculated in nanometers, then WECT is a real macro world: the prototype developed and tested by Swedish scientists has a diameter of 3 cm and a frequency of up to 1 Hz. However, the researchers note that fast transistors that are invisible to the naked eye are not always needed. For example, they won’t work for the same control over plants.

“We found an unprecedented principle Linköping University Organic Electronics Laboratory senior associate professor Isak Engqvist said in the university’s press release. ” Yes, the board transistor is slow and cumbersome, but it works and has great potential for development. “, added.

The working principle of WECT is clearly demonstrated by the images published by the scientists. For its creation required “conductive wood”. It is created by removing lignin from wood, a special chemical solvent is used for this purpose. Next, the channels in which the lignin is present are replaced with a polymer with electron-ion conductivity. The scientists used balsa wood (due to the proper structure of the internal channels) and the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS for the experiment. Three pieces of board were needed to build WECT: one for the central channel of the transistor and one each for the upper and lower gates.