Organic Substrate Wearable Platform for Biocompatible Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printed circuit boards (PCBs) used in wearables are bulky, polluting, and lack biocompatibility, making them unsuitable for imperceptible and eco-friendly health monitoring devices.
Innovation Solution
The development of printed circuit boards on and under organic substrates like bacterial nanocellulose using additive deposition methods such as aerosol deposition, inkjet printing, and screen printing, which are biocompatible and reduce environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional printed circuit boards (PCBs) are used in wearables, then functional electronics can be achieved, but the devices become bulky and non-biocompatible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional rigid PCBs with flexible thin film substrates including polymer films (e.g., PDMS, PET, PI) and nanocellulose films with thicknesses ranging from 1 μm to 200 μm. These thin films enable the wearable device to conform to skin contours while maintaining biocompatibility and reducing bulk, directly resolving the contradiction between functional electronics and device thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures combining flexible substrates with conductive inks containing metal nanoparticles (silver, gold, copper) or conductive polymers. This composite approach maintains electrical functionality equivalent to traditional PCBs while achieving the flexibility and biocompatibility needed for wearable applications, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and thickness.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional PCB manufacturing methods are used, then functional circuits can be produced, but environmental pollution and electronic waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical PCB manufacturing processes (etching, drilling, soldering) with additive manufacturing techniques including inkjet printing, aerosol jet deposition, and screen printing. These methods deposit conductive materials directly onto flexible substrates without harsh chemicals or mechanical waste generation, maintaining manufacturing efficiency while eliminating environmental pollution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters from subtractive (etching away material) to additive (depositing material precisely where needed). This parameter change enables circuit fabrication on flexible substrates using print-based methods that consume minimal material and generate no electronic waste, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and environmental harm.
3Strength
If conventional materials are used for wearable substrates, then structural integrity can be maintained, but breathability and comfort are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes porous nanocellulose films with controlled pore sizes and polymer matrices with inherent porosity as substrate materials. These porous structures allow skin breathability and moisture vapor transmission while the nanocellulose network and polymer cross-linking maintain mechanical strength and structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between strength and breathability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thin film substrates (1-200 μm) made from flexible polymers and nanocellulose that inherently provide both mechanical strength through their molecular structure and breathability through their thin, conformal nature. These films allow skin to breathe while maintaining structural integrity for device support, resolving the contradiction between strength and harmful factors.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in lightweight, imperceptible, and sustainable wearable devices capable of biometric data collection and transdermal treatment delivery, while minimizing electronic waste and environmental harm.
Implementation Method 1
The conductive material may be deposited by an aerosol jet deposition method
Implementation Method 2
The conductive material may be deposited by an inkjet printing method
Implementation Method 3
The conductive material may be deposited by a screen printing method
Implementation Method 4
The porosity of such nanocellulose sheets makes them amenable to the wicking effect, allowing the absorption of most liquids into the nanocellulose matrix
Implementation Method 5
The porous organic substrate is absorbed with a conductive polymer or metal particles
Data Source
AI summary
A method for fabricating a printed circuit board comprising preparing a surface of an organic material substrate then depositing conductive traces and at least one conductive pad on the organic material substrate through an additive deposition process. The conductive traces and pads are then heat-treated to create electrically conductive pathways and at least one heat-treated conductive pad. A dielectric material is then deposited through the additive deposition process over a portion of the heat-treated conductive traces to create a dielectric material containing area and a non-dielectric material containing area. The dielectric material containing area is then heat-treated.