Thermoresponsive Transient Electronics Using LCST Polymers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current transient electronics systems lack stimulus-responsive behaviors necessary for practical use in environments like inside an organism, relying primarily on aqueous-induced disintegration which limits their functionality and transition sharpness between functional and disintegrated states.
Innovation Solution
Employing thermoresponsive materials with lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior, such as methyl cellulose (MC) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) polymers combined with silver nanowires (AgNWs) to create composite elements where electrical traces are embedded or surface-disposed, enabling stable function in warm environments and rapid disintegration upon cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If aqueous-induced disintegration is used for transient electronics, then the device can dissolve in aqueous environments, but the transition between functional and disintegrated states is not sharp and lacks stimulus-responsive behavior
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the triggering parameter from aqueous environment exposure to temperature change. The thermoresponsive polymer undergoes a sharp conformational change at its lower critical solution temperature (LCST), causing rapid disintegration of the electronic device. This temperature-based parameter change provides a sharper, more controllable transition compared to aqueous-induced dissolution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the phase transition of thermoresponsive polymers at their LCST. Below the LCST, the polymer is hydrophobic and maintains device integrity; above the LCST, it becomes hydrophilic and triggers rapid disintegration. This phase transition enables a sharp, stimulus-responsive transition between functional and disintegrated states.
2Adaptability or versatility
If thermoresponsive materials with LCST behavior are used, then sharper transitions and stimulus-responsive behaviors are achieved, but the device requires temperature control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs the thermoresponsive polymer's intrinsic LCST property to trigger disintegration automatically in response to temperature changes. The material itself serves as the temperature sensor and actuator, eliminating the need for external control mechanisms. The device self-regulates its disintegration based on the ambient temperature relative to the polymer's LCST.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermoresponsive polymer acts as an intermediary between the temperature stimulus and the electronic device structure. The polymer's conformational change at the LCST mediates the transmission of thermal energy into mechanical disintegration of the device, providing a controlled and amplified response to temperature changes.
3Ease of manufacture
If standard fabrication techniques are used for transient materials, then compatibility with existing manufacturing is improved, but the range of stimulus-responsive behaviors is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent demonstrates that thermoresponsive polymers can be processed using standard fabrication techniques such as spin-coating, drop-casting, and inkjet printing. This universality allows existing manufacturing infrastructure to produce devices with advanced stimulus-responsive behaviors, eliminating the need for specialized equipment while expanding functional capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates composite structures by integrating thermoresponsive polymers with electronic materials and conductive traces. This composite approach combines the ease of processing polymers with the functionality of electronic components, enabling standard fabrication techniques to produce devices with enhanced stimulus-responsive behavior through material composition rather than complex processing.
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
The thermoresponsive composite elements maintain stable electrical conductance in warm conditions and rapidly disintegrate when cooled, allowing for sharper transitions and more complex behaviors, suitable for applications within organisms or warm environments.
Implementation Method 1
a composition of the binder material is a thermoresponsive material... the thermoresponsive material can be a material exhibiting lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior
Data Source
AI summary
A composite element and methods of fabrication thereof are provided. The composite element can include a binder material and one or more electrical traces supported by the binder material, where a composition of the binder material is a thermoresponsive material and where each of the one or more electrical traces comprises an interconnected network of nanoparticles.