New Chemical Iris Technology May Change the Way Smartphone Apertures Work





The proposed design uses a collection of transparent chemical rings sandwiched in-between two pieces of glass

The rings are made of an electrochromic polymer called PEDOT, which turns opaque as soon as electrical voltage is applied, theoretically blocking out any incoming light just as well as physical blades would, and becoming transparent once more when the voltage is removed.


The research on this new component has only just begun, but the potential is very exciting (if you’ll forgive the electrical pun).

At only 55 micrometers thick, the tech is dramatically smaller than any other aperture setup currently on the market, and it uses far less battery to boot. Another added benefit is the better aesthetic given off by a perfectly circular aperture, rather than the more traditional blade setup that can create hexagonal bokeh.

Right now, the largest limitation is the lack of proper opaqueness of the PEDOT material, but lead author of the research paper on the subject, Tobias Deutschmann, say he’s confident as “the synthesis of optimized EC materials is under rapid development.”

(via BBC)