Development of Eco-Efficient Smart Electronics for Anticounterfeiting and Shock Detection Based on Printable Inks

Abstract

Printed electronics are expected to meet an increasing demand for improved functionality and autonomy of products in the context of Internet-of-Things. With this trend, the environmental performance of novel technologies is of growing importance. The current study presents the life cycle assessment of two novel devices: an anticounterfeit label based on the electrochromic display and a shock-detection tag based on the piezoelectric sensor, designed for the use in packaging of pharmaceuticals and luxury items to improve the safety and accountability in the supply chain. The devices are manufactured by means of energy-efficient printing techniques on a low-cost flexible and recyclable paper substrate. Comprehensive cradle-to-grave analysis contributes to industrial-scale energy and material life cycle inventories and identifies the main impact hotspots evaluated for a broad range of categories of the ReCiPe midpoint (H) impact assessment method. Results show that major impact burdens are associated with the near-field communication chip and radio-frequency identification antenna, while the impacts of solvents, process energy, electrochromic display/piezoelectric sensor, Li-ion battery, and substrate are comparatively small. In terms of their global warming potential, both the anticounterfeit label and shock-detection tag embody around 0.23 kg of CO2-equiv. Several material-use reduction and material-substitution strategies are quantified and discussed for their potential to reduce high impacts of the antenna.

Greener Solvent-Based Processing of Magnetoelectric Nanocomposites

“…The link between the physical world and the Internet has been a driving force in enhancing peopleʼs quality of life, which has culminated in the Internet of Things (IoT) concept. − This technology allows a more effective and ubiquitous interrelation between humans and electronic devices, modifying the paradigm of the user’s interactions. In such human–machine connectivity, the user, who previously interacted with a physical object in a voluntary way, starts to interact with the object simply by using it: the “I-user”. , In addition, the rapid evolution of the digitalization wave, leading to the interconnection in real time of every possible “Things” (home appliances, mobile phones, cars, or smart houses, among others), demands also a new generation of materials that allows lightness, flexibility, and improved integration at reasonable prices. , Thus, a new generation of materials called “smart materials” are being developed to be integrated in a variety of objects and devices with the objective to sense temperature, pressure, impact, deformation, and other relevant parameters. − Additionally, some of those types of materials can also act as energy harvesters , or actuators. , …”

Triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion combined with afterglow phosphors for multi-dimensional anti-counterfeiting and encoding

“…In recent decades, with the significant and rapid development of economy, counterfeit products have become a serious and prevalent problem around the world. 1 Therefore, various anti-counterfeiting technologies, such as barcodes, 2 two-dimensional codes, 3 radio frequency identification, 4 holographic technology, 5 digital watermarking 6 and lately emerging luminescent anti-counterfeiting technology, 7 have been developed to effectively ensure the security and reliability of the products. Because of the advantages of visual identification, high concealment and difficulty in imitation, luminescent materials, including organic molecules, 8 quantum dots, 9 perovskites, 10 metal–organic frameworks, 11 semiconductors, 12 polymers 13 and lanthanide-doped materials, 14 have become promising candidates for anti-counterfeiting materials.…”

Ratio, Sum, or Weighted Sum? The Curious Case of BASF’s Eco-efficiency Analysis

“…Each of these may apply to different decision situations. , We summarize the different interpretations in Table . In addition, there are approaches in which EE is not a number, but a strategy for the “simultaneous study of economic and environmental impacts”, or where eco-efficiency is used as a synonym for environmental friendliness. , We also mention a recent review, which discerned various qualitative and quantitative approaches. We finally mention a bibliometric analysis, which in its title and abstract promises to study eco-efficiency, but which has a so much wider scope that it actually overlooks many important contributions to eco-efficiency while emphasizing other subjects.…”