Wireless Microfluidic Systems for Programmed, Functional Transformation of Transient Electronic Devices

Abstract

wileyonlinelibrary.comresorbable environmental monitors, disposable devices, hardware-secure digital memories, and other applications that are not well served by conventional technologies. [ 1 ] Such types of systems represent a subset of a broader class of a technology referred to as transient electronics. Early work [ 2 ] examined sequentially dissolvable electronics in which variations in the thicknesses and types of the constituent materials determine a time sequence for dissolution across the areas of integrated devices. An important recent advance [ 3 ] in this fi eld followed from the realization of on-demand, triggered dissolution via a remotely controlled microfl uidic system. In the present paper, we demonstrate that these platforms can be extended for use in multistaged transformations of functional behaviors in the transient electronics by means of programmed microfl uidic chemical etching at Electronic systems that enable programmable transformation of functional behaviors by remote control or by autonomous responses to user-defi ned circumstances create unusual engineering opportunities, where physical changes in the hardware induce desired changes in operation. This paper presents materials and device architectures for technologies of this type, in which localized microfl uidic chemical etching of targeted constituent components in the electronics occurs in a sequential, selective manner. Custom circuits that include reconfi gurable radio-powered thermal actuators with analog amplifi ers and square waveform generators illustrate the concepts.

Transient bioelectrical devices inspired by a silkworm moth breaking out of its cocoon

“…Transient electronic devices can be chemically and/or physically triggered by chemical etching, 1 humidity, 2 heat, 3 or light, 4 and they are applied in various elds, such as biomedical applications, [5][6][7] remote environmental sensors, 8 and multifunctional devices with temporal functional proles. In nature, silkworm pupa become a juvenile moth in the cocoon during the larval stage, and the cocoon is camouaged such that predators cannot see the interior.…”

Mechanically Milled Irregular Zinc Nanoparticles for Printable Bioresorbable Electronics

“…Bioresorbable electronic devices have stringent requirements for environmental humidity and temperature, and are predominantly achieved by complex, time‐consuming fabrication processes based on anhydrous surface micromachining and complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (CMOS) techniques . Alternative methods based on printable electronics techniques offer fast prototyping, high yield, and low cost, and have been demonstrated by screen‐printed wireless circuits based on conductive pastes made of Zn and tungsten (W) microparticles .…”

Triggered degradation of 250 μm-thick Mg targets using acetic acid for transient electronic applications

“…Current demonstrations of transient electronics include the destruction of various materials and device, such as Si [1] , SiGe and Ge [6] , metal [5] , diode [4] , brain sensor [2] , etc. The transience is introduced using water [7] , acid [4] , ultraviolet (UV) [8] , and microfluidic [9] . Particularly, acid-catalyzed transience is of special interest as the transience occurs on demand without requirement of UV exposure.…”