Paper-Based Devices for Flexible and Wearable Applications

Paper-based devices have recently emerged as a simple and low-cost paradigm for flexible and wearable applications. Paper is a flexible and low-cost game-changing substrate for next-generation electronics because of its excellent mechanical and dielectric properties with chemical and thermal stability. The biodegradability of paper-based electronics has attracted much attention as the future of green electronics, reducing the dramatic increase in electronic waste. Concurrent with advances in paper-based electronics, remarkable efforts have been dedicated to paper-based microfluidics for next-generation point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, particularly in limited-resource and remote regions. Fluidic components, patterned in paper, allow for instrument-free liquid transport via capillary wicking and storage of biological and chemical reagents within their 3-D fiber network of paper. A merged system incorporating paper-based electronics and paper-based microfluidics will have the transformative potential to yield exceptionally powerful functions and performances. In this invited talk, he will present many innovative paper-based electronics and paper-based microfluidics that his research group recently developed especially for flexible and wearable applications. 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.