A new study uncovers revealing insights into how plastic materials used in electronics are formed, and how hidden flaws in their structure could be limiting their performance.

Conjugated polymers are a type of plastic that conduct electricity and are used in optoelectronics, computing, biosensors, and power generation. The materials are lightweight, low-cost, and can be printed in thin layers onto flexible substrates, making them ideal for next-generation technologies.

An international team of scientists investigated a popular method for making the polymers called aldol condensation, which is praised for being versatile, metal-free, environmentally friendly, and scalable.