THE rings left behind by spilled coffee have inspired a new way to make ultrathin coatings for LCD and plasma flat-screens.
In LCDs, transparent conductive coatings are used to form an electrode on the surface of the screen, while in plasma TVs they provide a shield that prevents electromagnetic fields from straying. The traditional techniques for making such coatings include sputtering a fine layer of onto the surface. ITO is highly conductive and transparent to visible light, but the process is expensive, requiring clean rooms and vacuum chambers.
Ivan Vakarelski at the
