Stanford researchers develop biodegradable circuitry to tackle Global e-Waste problems

Stanford researchers develop biodegradable circuitry to tackle Global e-Waste problems

Plastic has been the most popular materials but also a major source of global waste in the modern world.  According to a recent  study by the United Nations University’s Sustainable Cycles programme (UNU),  the amount of e-waste in Asia has risen by 63 percent in the last five years. 

 “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Albert Einstein 

Scientists never stop finding new materials with new technology to make our life better. As an world known expert in studying flexible electronics and artificial skins, Stanford engineer Zhenan Bao and her team of researchers recently develop an organic, biodegradable semi conductor which can be widely applied to medical and environmental electronics which help to solve our growing e-waste problem.

“In my group, we have been trying to mimic the function of human skin to think about how to develop future electronic devices,” Bao said. She described how skin is stretchable, self-healable and also biodegradable – an attractive list of characteristics for electronics. “We have achieved the first two (flexible and self-healing), so the biodegradability was something we wanted to tackle.”

Currently the flexible semiconductor is built on a base of cellulose, the main ingredient in plant fibers. The team created a flexible electronic device that can easily degrade just by adding a weak acid like vinegar. The finding results were published May 1 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Besides, the team developed a new type of electrical component and a substrate material that attaches to the entire electronic component. Electronic components are usually made of gold. But for this device, the researchers crafted components from iron. Bao noted that iron is a very environmentally friendly product and is nontoxic to humans.

Bao, a professor of chemical engineering and materials science and engineering in Standford University, had previously created a stretchable electrode modeled on human skin. She was recognised as one of the top 10 of the year by Nature magazine in 2015 for her long time research in flexible electronics and artificial skin. In 2017, she received the “World Outstanding Female Scientist Award”.

Whatever the application, given that the number of electronics is growing year on year, biodegradability of such devices is going to be an increasingly important feature. We generate millions and billions of cell phones which hard to decompose. They hope they can develop materials that can be decomposed with less waste production.

Source of information: Standford News & Seeker 

Photo: YouTube

 

About Go.Asia

Go.Asia

Go.Asia is a charitable initiative that aims to improve society through collective and individual efforts. Go.Asia contains helpful information on possible ways to enrich your life and the lives of those around you through acts of kindness, compassion, generosity and goodwill.

史丹福大學研究團隊 研發可生物降解電子組件 有望解決電子廢物災難

史丹福大學研究團隊 研發可生物降解電子組件 有望解決電子廢物災難

塑膠物料一直是上世紀最廣受應用及歡迎材料之一,它同時卻是全球廢物的主要來源。根據聯合國大學可持續循環計劃(UNU)最近一項研究顯示,過去五年亞洲的電子垃圾數量增長了63%,當中包括不能被生物降解塑膠物料,為環境構成嚴重威脅。

但如愛因斯坦名言「想像力比知識更重要。」現代科學家不懈地應用新科技研發新技術、發明新材料,推動社會文明之餘,亦讓人類生活更美好。正如以研究柔性電子(Flexible Electronic)和人造皮膚而聞名的美藉華人科學家鮑哲南,她率領其研究團隊研製出新型可拉伸塑料電極,這種有機可生物降解的半導體,能廣泛應用於醫療和環境電子產品,相信能幫助解決日益增長的電子廢棄物問題。鮑哲南表示:

「我們團隊(的研究)本來一直試圖模仿人體皮膚的功能,同時思考如何將之開發未來電子設備。如皮膚是如何拉伸、自我修復和可生物分解 等。這些都是電子特性的一個有吸引力列表。 目前我們已經解決了前兩項問題,但可生物降解性是我們最後要解決的問題。」

最近其研究團隊成功在纖維素(即植物纖維的主要成分)基礎上加入柔性半導體, 並配合一種新研發的柔性電子組件,它的特點是,只需添加如醋等弱酸即可輕易將之降解。如果未來能成功應用到電訊產品製作中,將為減輕全球電子廢物造成的災難。研究結果現已在美國國家科學院院刊上發表。

關於「世界傑出女科學家」鮑哲南 

現於史丹福大學化學工程系執教的鮑哲南,多年來致力研究柔性電子學(Flexible electronics),於2015年曾被《自然》(Nature)雜誌評為全球科學界年度十大人物之一。2017年, 她更榮膺歐萊雅企業基金會及聯合國教科文組織頒發「世界傑出女科學家獎」,以表揚她在開發人造皮膚領域做出的貢獻。她領導的團隊開發出一種能夠感知壓力並與大腦溝通的柔性人造皮膚,期望未來能幫助以義肢生活的人獲得更真實觸感。

鮑哲南表示,「一直希望科學研究成果能夠運用到生活中,幫助人類」,理想的人造皮膚既需要開發觸覺、溫度傳感等功能,也面臨著現有材料侷限的挑戰,目前已開發出部分電性和拉伸性俱佳的高分子材料,但模擬人類複雜的觸覺仍有不少挑戰需要克服。她說接下來將利用有靈敏傳感性能的人造皮膚開發血壓測量儀器,中期開發是計畫應用於機器人讓其更加靈敏,長遠目標則是開發可穿戴電子器件,並幫助利用假肢生活的人們獲得觸感等。

資料來源: Standford News 、風傳媒  及 Business Insider

圖片: YouTube

About Go.Asia

Go.Asia

Go.Asia is a charitable initiative that aims to improve society through collective and individual efforts. Go.Asia contains helpful information on possible ways to enrich your life and the lives of those around you through acts of kindness, compassion, generosity and goodwill.