Spring is here, with the latest flexible and printed electronic news including paper loudspeakers, multi-sensor wearables and graphene breakthroughs. Catch up on news form the sector with our latest digest below.
One step closer to a wearable, all-in-one health monitor
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a thin skin patch made of stretchy polymers that not only tracks blood pressure and heart rate, but also the wearer’s levels of glucose, lactate, alcohol and caffeine. It is the first wearable device that monitors that many biochemical levels at the same time. Flexible electronics are moving fast!
Skin patch health monitor. © UC San Diego
Graphene nano-origami to create graphene microchips
Is origami one of your hobbies? What about nano-origami? Scientists from the University of Sussex have used this technique to make the tiniest microchips yet from graphene and other materials. It is around 100 times smaller than conventional microchips! Also, because nano-origami can be performed at room temperature, the process uses less energy than conventional methods.
Loudspeakers as thin as paper, literally
The Institute for Print and Media Technology at Chemnitz University of Technology (Germany) has developed a loudspeaker made from paper that can be printed in colour on both sides. They only weigh 150 grams. This technology could be applied, for example, at trade shows and in the advertising industry.
Molecular bridges to power up printed electronics
Researchers from the European initiative Graphene Flagship have boosted the efficiency of conductive TMD inks by connecting graphene layers through molecular bridges, small molecules to interconnect the transition metal flakes. This creates a network that facilitates charge transport and conductivity. TMD inks are used from electronics and sensors to catalysis and biomedicine, so this new advancement could boost many fields!
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