Biodegradable_electronics
Biodegradable electronics
Type of electric circuits
Biodegradable electronics are electronic circuits and devices with a limited lifetime owing to their tendency to biodegrade. Such devices are proposed to represent useful medical implant,[1][2] and temporary communication sensors.
Organic electronic devices as compostable material platforms have been fabricated on aluminum foil[3] and paper[4] to accommodate these expanded functionalities. In one embodiment of this idea, paper films were utilized as a combination substrate and gate dielectric for use with pentacene-based active layers.[4] This idea was expanded upon to create complete circuits using foldable paper-based substrates.
Silk coatings could underpin an electronic devices because it melts away when the device is no longer needed. One test device, a heating circuit powered by beaming radio waves at it, was implanted under the skin of a rat with a wound. After the wound had healed, the implant simply melts away. The US military research agency DARPA funded research on building a tiny dissolving camera with this silk coating for use as a disposable spy camera.[5]
Cable bacteria give insight to how biodegradable electronics could be made.[6]