Konarka and Evident have formed a nanotech alliance to develop novel materials that could in the future power 'intelligent' forms of packaging

Using Konarka’s proprietary polymers and Evident’s quantum dots, the team aims to increase the sensitivity of tiny plastic solar cells to a wider range of the light spectrum. The two US firms believe that the development of high performance coatable and printable plastic solar cells could eventually be used to power intelligent packaging in the future.

Using Konarka’s proprietary polymers and Evident’s quantum dots, the team aims to increase the sensitivity of tiny plastic solar cells to a wider range of the light spectrum. The two US firms believe that the development of high performance coatable and printable plastic solar cells could eventually be used to power intelligent packaging in the future. ‘Intelligent packaging’ describes packaging that can monitor or display the freshness of food or indicate if frozen food has thawed during storage and transport. Advances in packaging technology have spawned oxygen scavengers, antimicrobial films and gas permeable packages, while controlled packaging has led to modified atmosphere packaging, moisture absorbers and other hybrid forms of packages to keep foods fresh. There is a possibility that the research conducted by Konarka and Evident could lead to new ways of powering intelligent packaging on the shelf.