Jing Liu, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said his team's advance—published May 9 in the journal Scientific Reports—could be a leap forward in the booming business of printed electronics.

"This brand-new technique offers a vital opportunity to realize rapid fabrication of inexpensive, disposable, conveniently portable circuits and functional components," he said, adding that the process could help "pave the way toward personal printed electronics."

Someday people could use this, and similar technologies, to create their own customized electronic devices including electronic greeting cards, video game controls, touch-sensitive mobile phone cases, or solar cell arrays.

Scientists already print electronic circuits on flexible materials like plastics that can be shaped into functional products—antennas are