Part of the problem is that semiconductors — compounds that move electricity between different materials of varying conductivity — tend to be inflexible or brittle.

Organic semiconductors, on the other hand, are composed of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and other molecules that generally make bendable material. These semiconductors provide a much more attractive choice for flexible tech applications, and a team of researchers has devised an efficient way to apply them: a semiconductor "spray paint."

Oana Jurchescu, an assistant professor of physics at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, developed this novel technique along with her associates Yaochuan Mei, also of Wake Forest, and John Anthony from the University of Kentucky. Her organic semiconductor, called triethylgermylethynyl-substituted anthradithiophene (diF-TEG ADT) can rest comfortably on a variety of substances without breaking or compromising its functionality.