Papertronics and Paperfluidics

Papertronics have recently emerged as a next-generation “green” electronic platform with the goal of tackling deformability, cost-effectiveness, electronic waste management, environmental pollutions, and resource shortages. Papertronics possess unique characteristics including foldability, flexibility, lightweight, low cost, biodegradability, renewability, eco-friendliness, and probability for abundance. The potential of papertronics for large-scale manufacturing, system integration, and commercialization has been demonstrated in an increasing number of scientific publications and patents that develop many electronics such as paper-based printed circuit boards (PCBs), displays, touch-pads, and other electronic components. While paper is used for flexible electronics, it has also recently been considered as a promising substrate for microfluidic assays and diagnostics. Paperfluidics have revolutionized public healthcare, both in developed and developing countries and have become a new class of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic devices that are portable, rapid, low-cost, and easy to use. The process of pattering microfluidics in paper has been well established in photolithography, wax printing, laser micromachining and other techniques. Microfluidic channels in paper can be fabricated two-dimensionally or even three-dimensionally to transport the fluids horizontally and vertically. In this invited talk, he will present many innovative papertronic devices that his research group recently developed including paper-based PCBs, paper-based microfluidics, and paper-based batteries. Details of the frontier of research to improve the performance of the devices will be discussed, followed by a critical perspective on strategic future directions.