Duke Engineering researchers demonstrate the first fully recyclable, sub-micrometer printed electronics.
Duke Engineering researchers demonstrate the first fully recyclable, sub-micrometer printed electronics.
Electrical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated the ability to print fully functional and recyclable electronics at sub-micrometer scales. The technique could impact the more than $150 billion electronic display industry and its environmental impact while providing a toehold for U.S. manufacturing to gain traction in a vital and quickly growing industry.
The research appears October 17 in the journal Nature Electronics.
“If we want to seriously increase U.S.-based manufacturing in areas dominated by global competitors, we need transformational technologies,” said Aaron Franklin, the Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Chemistry at Duke. “Our process prints carbon-based transistors that can be fully recycled and provide comparable performance to industry standards. It’s too promising of a result not to be given further attention.”
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Image: A closeup look at the tiny needle used in the Hummink printing technology. The needle is essentially attached to a tuning fork, which moves the needle rapidly above the printing surface. Natural competing surface energies pull tiny amounts of ink out to print designs with submicrometer precision. (Credit: Duke University)
