Until now, silicon-based materials have been used as materials for electronic devices used in personal computers and smartphones.On the other hand, research on making electronic devices using organic substances has been actively conducted and is actually being applied.The advantage of using organic materials is that their properties can be changed to metals, semiconductors, and insulators by chemical treatment.On the other hand, there are many unexplained parts in the mechanism of electricity flow.In particular, the mechanism of a phenomenon called nonlinear conduction, in which the current is not proportional to the voltage at low temperatures, that is, it does not obey Ohm's law, remains a mystery.

　The group made a semiconductor sheet made from a substance called polyhexylthiophene and measured electrical conduction.As a result, it became clear that the behavior peculiar to the phenomenon of coulomb blockade conduction, which was previously thought not to occur in organic matter, is exhibited.Coulomb blockade is a phenomenon in which the flow of electrons itself is obstructed by the repulsion between electrons with negative charges.This may undermine the previously thought mechanism of current flow through organic conductors.

　This discovery is extremely important for correctly elucidating the mechanism by which electricity flows through organic conductors.Furthermore, it became necessary to take this into consideration when actually designing electronic devices.It will be of great help to the development and design of organic devices that are just expanding.