Chemists create rewritable paper
Yadong Yin’s lab at the University of California, Riverside has fabricated a rewritable paper that is based on the color switching property of commercial chemicals called redox dyes.
The dye forms the imaging layer of the paper. Printing is achieved by using ultraviolet light to photobleach the dye, except the portions that constitute the text on the paper. The new rewritable paper can be erased and written on more than 20 times with no significant loss in contrast or resolution.
“This rewritable paper does not require additional inks for printing, making it both economically and environmentally viable,” said Yadong Yin, a professor of chemistry, whose lab led the research. “It represents an attractive alternative to regular paper in meeting the increasing global needs for sustainability and environmental conservation.”
See the paper in action here:
[read more at UCR Today] [paper] [Photo credit: Yin Lab, UC Riverside.]