Project Title: Biodegradable thin film electronics for massively deployable and sustainable Internet of Things applications (PRIN Project)
Project Duration: 09/2023 – 09/2025
Project Description:
In 2019, the world generated 53.6 Mt of electronic waste (e-waste), of which less than 20% are documented to be recycled. This e-waste is expected to increase with a rate of 6.5% yearly. In parallel, the energy-intensive fabrication of the Integrated Circuit (IC) industry is responsible for a dramatic increase of resource consumption (x5 water in the last decade) and of CO2 emission (about x2 from 2019). This picture is further being exacerbated by the Internet of Things (IoT) scenario that foresee the deployment of trillions of interconnected electronic devices.
Sustainable electronics is a new concept that accounts for the environmental, social, and economic impact of electronic devices through the entire life cycle to reduce natural resources and CO2 footprint. The implementation of such new concept articulates along four main pathways: (i) eco-design that incorporates environmental requirements into the specifications; (ii) research of new sustainable materials; (iii) efficient manufacturing (net zero production); (iv) efficient recycling. Within this context, and for certain applications biodegradable thin-film transistor (TFT) technology has emerged as a viable alternative to the resource-intensive manufacturing by simplifying the processes and to the uncontrolled increase of e-waste by ensuring efficient recycling.
Such improvements in the manufacturing and device engineering have not yet been paired by progress in revising the constituent materials, that remain non-biodegradable. One critical example is polyimide (used as substrate and encapsulant), whose degradation in the environment requires centuries. The proposed research targets three main objectives: (i) study the biocompatibility and biodegradation of a-IGZO, selected 2D semiconductors, and biofilms derived from the upcycling of fish waste; (ii) develop models and simulation tools to support material selection, device optimization, and performance prediction for biodegradable circuits; (iii) fabricate fully biodegradable TFTs and basic digital/analog circuits. The project promises to set the foundations of the next leap in thin film electronics for biodegradable RFID tags and sustainable IoT.
Principal Investigator: Prof. Luisa Petti
Project Collaborators: Prof. Giovanni Antonio SALVATORE (University of Venice)
Contact person: Dr. Ahmed Rasheed, Dr. Enrico Avancini