The Heat is On Meet the world’s first heat-controlled transistor, created by a team from the Organic Electronics Laboratory at Linkoping University (1). Combining an ionic thermoelectric supercapacitor (ITESC) and an electrolyte-gated transistor, its sensitivity to heat is estimated to be over 100-times greater than traditional thermoelectric sensors. The inventors believe that the technology has potential as an inexpensive sensor in infrared cameras, and even in functional dressings, as a means to monitor the healing process.Credit: Thor Balkhed, Linkoping University, Sweden. Would you like your photo featured in Image of the Month? Send it to [email protected]

Enjoy our FREE content! Log in or register to gain full unlimited access to all content on the The Analytical Scientist site. It’s FREE and always will be! Login Email Password Forgot your password? Keep me logged in Log in Or register now - it’s free and always will be! You will benefit from: Unlimited access to ALL articles

News, interviews & opinions from leading industry experts

Receive print (and PDF) copies of The Analytical Scientist magazine Register Or Login via Social Media Twitter By clicking on any of the above social media links, you are agreeing to our Privacy Notice.

D Zhao et al., “Ionic thermoelectric gating organic transistors”, Nat Commun, 8 (2017).

About the Author

Joanna Cummings

A former library manager and storyteller, I have wanted to write for magazines since I was six years old, when I used to make my own out of foolscap paper and sellotape and distribute them to my family. Since getting my MSc in Publishing, I’ve worked as a freelance writer and content creator for both digital and print, writing on subjects such as fashion, food, tourism, photography – and the history of Roman toilets. Now I can be found working on The Analytical Scientist, finding the ‘human angle’ to cutting-edge science stories.