What does the future look like for electronics? I'm really excited to share my research group's advancement, just published in Nature Electronics, on printing recyclable electronics from all-carbon-based inks. Change starts with important discoveries, and Nicholas Williams had several in the excellent work he did for this project. We demonstrate some of the highest performance thin-film transistors ever to be printed on paper substrates, all from carbon-based electronic inks: semiconducting carbon nanotubes, conducting graphene, and insulating nanocellulose (an extract from wood fiber). The devices are stable for months, operate at low voltages, and then are recyclable -- we reclaim and reuse the constituent nanomaterials for more printed electronics. With electronic waste (e-waste) literally piling up, these results open the way for incredible possibilities for the internet-of-things (IoT) future.
Link to the technical article is below in the comments for a free online view. A link to a high-level news/views article is also included in the comments for those interested.
Assoc. Teaching Professor at Johns Hopkins University
2yCongrats all!