​​What is E Ink? How does it work?

 ​​What is E Ink? How does it work?

Electronic ink is a liquid substance, in development at MIT's Media Lab in partnership with a company called E Ink, that responds to electrical impulses to enable changeable text and image displays on a flexible surface. Electronic ink will be used for applications such as e-books, electronic newspapers, portable signs, Colour changing cars and foldable, rollable displays. Electronic ink consists of millions of tiny capsules filled with dark dyes and containing negatively charged white chips, floating in a substance like vegetable oil.

The microcapsules, which are roughly the width of a human hair, contain positively charged white particles and negatively charged black particles.

Applying a negative electrical field causes the white particles to rise to the surface. Conversely, applying a positive electrical field causes the black particles to rise to the surface. By applying different fields at different parts of a screen, e-ink produces a monochromatic text display.

E-ink displays are especially popular because of they resemble printed paper. In addition to being easier on the eyes than other display types, e-ink consumes less power, especially when compared to backlit liquid crystal display (LCD) screens.