Project description
Something new for 3D-printed bioinspired electronics
A transition from rigid, brittle, polluting and battery-dependent electronics to soft, resilient, recyclable and self-powered ones is in progress. In this context, the EU-funded Liquid3D project will develop a series of groundbreaking sinter-free printable composites based on liquid metals, in order to 3D print functional cells for sensing, acting, processing and energy storage that are entangled together in a distributed and three-dimensional fashion. Liquid3D aims to provide design freedom to scientists, allowing them to print futuristic soft electronics. What’s impressive about these electronics is that they will enable a new level of bioinspiration in man-made devices, which was not possible before. The project will also develop fundamental understanding and mathematical modelling of biphasic composites based on liquid metal, and methods for recycling the developed composites.
Objective
Liquid3D proposes bioinspired electronics and machines that are soft, resilient, self-healing, shape-morphing, and fully recyclable. Functional sensing/acting/processing/energy cells will be 3D printed using a series of game changer Liquid Metal based composites. As a result, we will print futuristic soft electronics that sense and interact with humans or the environment. This provides an excellent design freedom to scientists for manufacturing complex “living” electronics, while guaranteeing that any possible product coming from these inventions will be Resilient, Repairable, and Recyclable. I expect that over 80% of microchips, and metals in the printed circuits, can be recovered. Liquid3D redefines the electronics, by rethinking the materials, fabrications, and design architectures.
These objectives are feasible, thanks to the recent breakthroughs that I made to the field: First; discovery of the biphasic (liquid-solid) composite based on Gallium-Indium Liquid Metal (LM), that allowed the first ever method for room temperature printing of stretchable circuits; and second, a method for inclusion of microelectronics into ultra-stretchable circuits through self-soldering, self-healing, and self-encapsulating of LM-Polymer composites.
With Liquid3D I will develop fundamental understanding, and mathematical modelling of biphasic systems, and develops novel room temperature printable composites with sensing/acting/energy storage properties, and methods for recycling them. I will investigate novel forms of implementing truly 3D electronics, with distributed functional cells.
Liquid3D intends to fundamentally rethink, the concept of electronics, as we know today. From rigid and brittle to soft, resilient and repairable; From polluting to recyclable; from battery dependent to self-powered; from 2D to truly 3D; It proposes a radically new way of making “greener” electronics.
With Liquid3D I aim to establish the world leading centre on recyclable, and green electronics.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcomposites
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringroboticssoft robotics
- natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicsmicroelectronics
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineeringadditive manufacturing
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
3004-531 Coimbra
Portugal