New plastic-based spintronics magnetic field sensor developed, is "dirt cheap"

Researchers from the University of Utah developed a Spintronics organic thin-film transistor that can be used as a cheap magnetic field sensor that never needs to be calibrated and is capable of detecting intermediate to strong magnetic fields. The film also resists heat and degradation and operates at room temperatures.

The thin film is an organic semiconductor polymer called MEH-PPV - a very cheap material. In fact the researchers say that this new sensor is "dirt cheap" - it costs just as little as a drop of regular paint. The researchers are thinking about launching a spin-off company to commercialize this technology.