Printed electronics is a revolutionary technology that holds the potential to transform the way we manufacture and use electronic devices. By leveraging the power of printing techniques, researchers and engineers are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, opening doors to a future where electronics can be seamlessly integrated into our daily lives.
In this blog post you will discover some of the top projects and initiatives that are working in the field of printed electronics. These projects are boosting new materials, manufacturing processes and applications, paving the way for a wide variety of exciting possibilities.
We have spoken with the coordinators of the HyPELignum, REFORM, SUPERIOT and STRENTEX projects to gain insights on their main objectives, innovations and expected results.
HyPELignum
What are the project objectives?
The HyPELignum project aims to demonstrate, via a holistic approach, that the combination of additive manufacturing, wood-based materials, abundant transition metals and advance sustainable assessment, can lead to the conceptualization and manufacturing of net-zero carbon electronics.
Which are the main innovations and advances in the state-of-the-art?
One of the main innovations proposed in the project is the use of sustainable and abundant materials in inks and substrates to be used in the additive Manufacturing of electronics and sensors. Moreover, the project improves in the energy management and integration of sensor systems, reversible coatings for easing the separation and recovery of electronics and novel tools for design of green electronics.
What results do you expect to achieve by the end of the project?
The main results of the HyPELignum project are expected to be a tool for implementing at an early-stage sustainability in the design of electronics, novel materials and processes for the additive manufacturing of electronics, low environmental impacting materials and devices, energy efficient microelectronic components and sensors and bio-derived active coating for the recovery of electronic components and circuit.
REFORM
What are the project objectives?
REFORM is a female-led project aiming to develop printed green electronics that will accelerate and guide the creation of a new European functional electronics supply chain. REFORM will employ eco-design principles to produce green printable electronics that meet the demands of multiple industries and sectors so that e-waste ceases to be a problem in the future.
Which are the main innovations and advances in the state-of-the-art?
The project’s innovation lies in its ambition to progress these key enablers to create a green functional electronics supply chain while also developing two industrial demonstrators from TRL 2/3 to TRL 5. Collectively, the consortium has the capability to advance “green” electronics from mostly lab-based concepts to materials and prototypes that are validated in industrially relevant environments.
What results do you expect to achieve by the end of the project?
REFORM’s outputs will include new concepts, designs and technologies which we hope will establish the building blocks for the adoption of green functional electronics in the not-too-distant future. Specifically, we aim to develop two use cases or prototypes as part of the project. The first will centre around the design and development of an environmentally friendly RFID logistics label.
SUPERIOT
What are the project objectives?
The main objective of the SUPERIOT project is to demonstrate that truly sustainable communication systems are viable. For that, the project develops a holistic approach to design and implement a sustainable communication system.
Which are the main innovations and advances in the state-of-the-art?
SUPERIOT exploits reconfiguration and dual-modality operation using radio and optical systems at node and network level. Dual-modality provides unique advantages to the communication, energy harvesting and positioning systems.
What results do you expect to achieve by the end of the project?
The project will develop the concept of truly sustainable IoT and validate it by designing and implementing four demonstrators featuring the key technical aspects of the SUPERIOT concept.
STRENTEX
What are the project objectives?
The main objective of the STRENTEX project is to create a hub of excellence to continuously advance state-of-the-art research, technological innovation and contribution to broader social goals, in the field of Textile Electronics. The objective is also to establish an international and multidisciplinary team and well-equipped laboratory to support the transfer of our innovative ideas into application-oriented prototypes and products.
Which are the main innovations and advances in the state-of-the-art?
The main innovations og STRENTEX project team are portable respiration monitoring system with embroidered face mask sensor, face masks heaters, textile-based electronics system for treating warts at home using hyperthermia, smart bandages with sensors for detecting the status of the wound, performance evaluation of dental flosses and their sensing applications in oral cavity, antennas on textile, textile sensors for real time sweat analysis and textile-based wearable device for detection of date rape drugs in drinks, etc.
What results do you expect to achieve by the end of the project?
By the end of the project, STRENTEX aims to develop textile based Microfluidic Chips for Saliva based diagnostics, NFC-based Tags for LC resonator for Sweat detection, a textile-based strain sensor that can be wrapped onto the body (in a form of belt) and can properly monitor breathing rate, textile electrodes for ECG, EEG signals recording and textile-based Lactate sensor based on advanced nanomaterials, etc.
