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A team of researchers from the Swedish RISE Institute developed an innovative method to print a battery-free hybrid electronic system directly onto glass and published it in the journal Electronic Materials. The system integrates several other components, including a sensor that can detect water, an electrochromic display, and a silicon chip that uses electromagnetic radiation to supply power.
Research: Battery-free electronic systems printed on glass substrates. Photo Credit: Syda Productions/Shutterstock.com
A team of researchers at the RISE Institute in Sweden has developed an innovative method to print a battery-free hybrid electronic system directly onto glass. The system integrates several other components, including a sensor that can detect water, an electrochromic display, and a silicon chip that uses electromagnetic radiation to supply power.
(a) Schematic diagram of some screen-printed layers: the first silver layer (black), the insulating layer (grey) that defines the electrochromic "rain" and "sun" display parts, and the sensor's carbon electrode (orange) to prevent short circuits The required insulation layer (green), and the second silver layer (blue) used to establish the wire crossing; (b) The continuous voltage output level when the system is activated through the NFC interface of the mobile phone. Image source: Andersson Ersman, P et al., Electronic Materials
The system also includes a silicon-based microcontroller that can monitor the sensor status and update the corresponding display. The RISE team believes that this type of energy harvesting system has application potential in smart window technology in the automotive and construction industries.
Printed electronics is a new method of manufacturing new electronic systems, which is accomplished through standard graphic arts printing processes (such as screen printing). Since almost any material can be used in this process, the application potential of these systems is very broad, as the substrates can include paper, plastic, textiles and even glass materials.
Therefore, this generation of electronic products can be applied to unique and flexible dimensions. In addition, the cost of printing and manufacturing processes is relatively low and can be performed at low temperatures.
Although silicon-based electronic systems will continue to lead in terms of powerful processing power, performance, and reliability, the potential to print certain systems into almost any shape and/or form at a lower cost is a very exciting Prospects. Therefore, printed electronic products are often seen as a complement to traditional electronic systems rather than competitors.
Although printed electronics can be branded on almost any material, some materials (such as paper and plastic) are prone to degradation and other environmental impacts, which in turn can impair the function of the system.
In addition, many printed electronic products are derived from organic molecules and polymers, which are also sensitive to environmental conditions and may be susceptible to photo-oxidation and temperature and humidity fluctuations.
Therefore, printed electronics on paper and plastic may benefit from the lamination between barrier films. However, the addition of barrier films and coatings will increase process steps, thereby increasing costs.
(a) By applying a voltage of 3 V to the counter electrode, the current and time switching behavior during the corresponding display segment is reduced, that is, the coloring from white to blue. The sharp transition at ~100-200 ms indicates that the PEDOT:PSS electrode has reached a fully reduced semiconductor state. After this time, no further coloration will occur; (b) The current and time switching behavior of the corresponding display segment is oxidized by applying -3 V to the counter electrode, that is, the color is switched from blue to white. Image source: Andersson Ersman, P et al., Electronic Materials
Therefore, the RISE team determined that glass may be a potential candidate substrate for printed electronics: "Glass is a class of materials with excellent barrier properties, so another option is to protect printed electronics from environmental impacts through lamination between the glasses. Table,” explains Peter Andersson Ersman, researcher at RISE and co-author of the study.
Glass is an important material in the automotive and construction industries, and is becoming the basic building material in buildings, used as beautiful and practical components. Therefore, adding a certain degree of electronic functionality to the glass of a building can provide additional benefits. "Glass is a widely used material...it can even be flexible," Ersman said.
One of the current trends in smart glass is electrochromic tinting windows, which can control their opacity by improving the comfort of occupants, lifestyles and even reducing energy costs, while providing architects with more design freedom.
In addition, tintable smart glass can also be used in automobiles because it can block up to 99% of harmful light while maintaining proper transparency. The windshield may also display critical information that can enhance the driver’s experience and provide additional safety advantages.
When manufacturing their battery-free electronic system, the RISE team applied a screen printing method on a 4 mm thick float glass substrate, while silicon-based components were placed using a placement machine.
(ad) Photos showing different coloring states of the screen-printed electrochromic display; (e) The photos describe the demonstration sequence of the system, in which the battery-free hybrid printed electronic sensor platform is activated by collecting energy through the NFC interface of the mobile phone. (Left) The status of the dry sensor is shown on the display. (Middle) Water droplets are placed on the sensor area. (Right) The wet sensor status is visualized on the display. Image source: Andersson Ersman, P et al., Electronic Materials
The layer-by-layer printing method implemented by the researchers requires a total of seven screen printing runs to obtain the expected architecture of the system.
The properties of glass substrates, including good barrier protection to moisture and oxygen, make glass a promising material for many smart glass applications, including practical applications in automobiles and buildings.
Supplemented by the mounting process of mounting silicon components, the RISE team proved the inspiration and success of the hybrid layer-by-layer method of introducing battery-free electronic functions into the glass substrate and the use of glass as the substrate.
Anderson Ersman, P.; Olin, J.; Westerberg, D. Savati, A.; Arvin, P.; Ludvigsson, M. Battery-free electronic system printed on a glass substrate. electronic. alma mater. 2021, 2, 527-535. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3978/2/4/37
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David is an academic researcher and interdisciplinary artist. David's current research explores how science and technology, especially the Internet and artificial intelligence, can be put into practice to influence a new shift towards utopianism and the reemergence of commons theory.
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