When I was quite young my mother gave me a grow your own crystal kit. It came with a bag of Alum and instructions. I first had to grow seed crystals in a super saturated solution of Alum and water. Then I placed the best seed crystal at the bottom of a jar and covered it in another saturated solution of Alum. After several weeks I had a fairly nice big crystal, formed from my seed crystal. It didn’t do anything except look pretty.
Scientists have really stepped that up a notch with these Self-Assembled Orgaic Circuits. In order to form these complex structures they create a silicon dioxide substrate with gold electrodes using conventional techniques. They then submerge the substrate in a solution containing the organic semiconductor and the molecules arrange themselves on the substrate in a densely packed single layer of molecular layer. Prior work has developed faster circuits but this method is extremely easy to deploy.
This type of technology will allow complex electronics to be embedded in items where it was previously not possible. It opens up the possibility of structurally flexible electronics that are cheap and easy to assemble. You may have a computer directly embedded into things like coffee cups, cereal boxes, newspapers, or have portable display devices that can roll up or fold up without complex engineering requirements.
Very cool future possibilities.