Biodegradable and Nanocomposite Materials as Printed Circuit Substrates: A Mini-Review

Géczy, Attila; Farkas, Csaba; Kovács, Rebeka; Froš, Denis; Veselý, Petr; Bonyár, Attila

doi:10.1109/ojnano.2022.3221273

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…As a result, only 20% of produced PCBs are recycled through costly and inefficient collection systems . In some cases, PCBs are burned in the landfills, generating debris or ashes that can enter groundwater, causing countless incidents of environmental damage. ,, Considering all the above, the need for sustainable substrates for PCBs, compliant with the principle of green electronics and, thus, that can be safely disposed of or biodegraded at the end of life, is becoming paramount. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Green Conformable Thermoformed Printed Circuit Board Sourced from Renewable Materials

Honarbari,

Cataldi,

Zych

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.

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Printed circuit boards (PCBs) physically support and connect electronic components to the implementation of complex circuits. The most widespread insulating substrate that also acts as a mechanical support in PCBs is commercially known as FR4, and it is a glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy resin laminate. FR4 has exceptional dielectric, mechanical, and thermal properties. However, it was designed without considering sustainability and end-of-life aspects, heavily contributing to the accumulation of electronic waste in the environment. Thus, greener alternatives that can be reprocessed, reused, biodegraded, or composted at the end of their function are needed. This work presents the development and characterization of a PCB substrate based on poly(lactic acid) and cotton fabric, a compostable alternative to the conventional FR4. The substrate has been developed by compression molding, a process compatible with the polymer industry. We demonstrate that conductive silver ink can be additively printed on the substrate's surface, as its morphology and wettability are similar to those of FR4. For example, the compostable PCB's water contact angle is 72°, close to FR4's contact angle of 64°. The developed substrate can be thermoformed to curved surfaces at low temperatures while preserving the conductivity of the silver tracks. The green substrate has a dielectric constant comparable to that of the standard FR4, showing a value of 5.6 and 4.6 at 10 and 100 kHz, respectively, which is close to the constant value of 4.6 of FR4. The substrate is suitable for microdrilling, a fundamental process for integrating electronic components to the PCB. We implemented a proof-of-principle circuit to control the blinking of LEDs on top of the PCB, comprising resistors, capacitors, LEDs, and a dual in-line package circuit timer. The developed PCB substrate represents a sustainable alternative to standard FR4 and could contribute to the reduction of the overwhelming load of electronic waste in landfills.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3 , 12 , 13 Considering all the above, the need for sustainable substrates for PCBs, compliant with the principle of green electronics 14 and, thus, that can be safely disposed of or biodegraded at the end of life, is becoming paramount. 14 − 17 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%