New biodegradable semiconductor could make e-waste a thing of the past

50 million tons of electronic waste are expected to be trashed this year, according to a United Nations Environment Program report. A Stanford University team was concerned over the escalating epidemic of e-waste, so they created a semiconductor - a component of just about all of our electronics - that can actually be broken down simply with a weak acid such as vinegar. Postdoctoral fellow Ting Lei said it's the very first example ever of "a semiconductive polymer that can decompose."

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