Phys.org reports on a breakthrough in printing: paper that uses ultraviolet light to print on coated paper. The paper can be heated to 250°F to erase what was printed and re-written to it up to 80 times (re-writable paper). The researchers believe that this paper, which uses ultraviolet light to speed up chemical reactions between titanium dioxide and Prussian Blue [Bob Ross, anyone?] pigment, can be produced cheaply on a commercial scale. Given that all the required materials – paper, titanium dioxide (already heavily used in beauty products/makeup, sunscreen, and as pigments for medicines, toothpaste, lipstick, creams, etc.), Prussian Blue pigment/dye, and ultraviolet bulbs – are all inexpensive means the materials are likely to be affordable. However, there are a few drawbacks:
- Blue text only (no black or full color printing)
- It is possible that they find other pigment/catalyst combinations in the future that would allow for printing in other colors or black
- Starts to fade back to all blue after 5 days
- Slow to print
- The researchers are working on this as they develop the first laser printer for for the coated paper
That being said there are a number of improvements over conventional ink/paper printing:
- More environmentally friendly
- Paper can be reused up to 80 times
- Less paper needs produced, which is a big contributor of environmental waste
- Less paper in landfills
- Requires no ink
- Cheaper
- Better for the environment as inks can be toxic to animals
- Paper can be reused up to 80 times
The research was conducted as coop between Shandong University (China), University of California, Riverside, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.