研究

Wood-n’t you believe it: cellulose-based 3D printed electronics developed at SFU

看到CES 2019的智能木材we knew it would only be a matter of time before a 3D printed smart wood came along.

For some time it seems, teams at西蒙·弗雷泽大学(Simon Fraser University)(SFU), British Columbia, and the Applied Wood Materials Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) have been working on their own wood-derived electronics.

使用3D打印,该协作现在已经证明了能够创建无线,环保和一次性化学传感器,以替换普通PCB的塑料。

SFU SFU学校的Woo Soo Kim教授站在专用的Delta 3D打印机旁边。通过SFU的照片
SFU SFU学校的Woo Soo Kim教授站在专用的Delta 3D打印机旁边。通过SFU的照片

Electric wood

SFU和EMPA在3D印刷生物电子学上的工作使用纳米纤维素。这种伪塑料结构材料通常是从木柱中提取的,正在发现各种应用MedTech领域, and even食品科技。然而,在这个项目中,团队广泛关注材料创建电子产品的潜力,测试纤维素纳米纤维(CNF)和纤维素纳米晶体(CNC)的导电潜力,与银纳米线(AGNWS)相结合时。

In the experimentation, inks made using these base ingredients are tested to find the optimal solution. The best one (a CNF mixture) is chosen for 3D printing as an inductor-capacitor (LC) circuit onto a polyamide film. Then, when an electric charge is applied to the circuit (via an attached box), data can be gathered wirelessly from the 3D printed sensor by measuring radio frequency.

Design of the SFU/EMPA cellulose-based sensor. Image via Advanced Electronic Materials
Design of the SFU/EMPA cellulose-based sensor. Image via Advanced Electronic Materials

3D printing green electronics

According to Woo Soo Kim, SFU professor at the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, the findings of this latest research will help advance the field of “green electronics,” i.e. devices made from recycle components, like戴尔的主板珠宝,或使用可生物降解材料的人。Kim教授补充说:“如果我们能够将PCB中的塑料更改为纤维素复合材料,那么板上金属组件的回收可以以一种更容易的方式收集。”

Suggested areas of application for the sensors include biomedicine, and环境检测– a field which is becoming increasingly important as the planet seeks to manage the Earth’s pollution.

Electrochemical Sensors: 3D Printed Disposable Wireless Ion Sensors with Biocompatible Cellulose Composites”在线发布Advanced Electronic Materials.它由Taeil Kim Chao Bao,Michael Hausmann,Gilberto Siqueira,Tanja Zimmermann和Woo Soo Kim合着。

Does this research get your nomination for this year’s3D打印为更美好的世界奖?选择SFU,EMPA等2019 3D印刷行业奖now.

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Featured image shows Professor Woo Soo Kim holding a 3D printed cellulose-based sensor. Photo via SFU