Flexible devices are increasingly required in fields such as soft robotics, healthcare, and precision agriculture, where their ability to stretch and conform to non-planar surfaces is essential. All these applications traditionally employ polymeric and plastic substrates, such as polyimides, which nevertheless contribute to electronics waste. Recently, there is a growing interest towards biocompatible, biobased, and even biodegradable substrates. An extremely interesting bio-based material coming from the animal kingdom is chitin, which - despite being considered a waste product of the fishing industry - is the most used carbohydrate to create resistant yet flexible structures. This paper reports the development of a solution processing water-based method for the realization of chitin, using a TEMPO mediated oxidation with minimal oxidants. In this study, we focus on characterizing the substrate and investigating its mechanical and thermal degradation properties. The objective is to assess the impact of various oxidant concentrations, to find the most effective one for creating flexible, strong, and temperature-resistant substrates.
- Chitin Nanocrystal Films for Flexible Biodegradable Electronics
- Guglielmo Trentini - Free University of Bozen-BolzanoMatteo Valt - Fondazione Bruno KesslerMarina Scarpa - University of TrentoLuisa Petti - Free University of Bozen-BolzanoAntonio Orlando - Free University of Bozen-BolzanoDavid Novel - Fondazione Bruno KesslerSoufiane Krik - Free University of Bozen-BolzanoAndrea Gaiardo - Fondazione Bruno Kessler
- 6th IEEE International Flexible Electronics Technology Conference, IFETC 2024: Proceedings, pp.1-4
- 9798331529468
- 2024 IEEE International Flexible Electronics Technology Conference (IFETC (Bologna, 15/09/2024–18/09/2024)
- IEEE
- 4
- 979-833152946-8
(UNIBZ)86113661
991006910012401241 - WOS:001417890500027
- 2-s2.0-85214998014
- Faculty of Engineering
- English
- Conference proceeding
- Trentini G, Valt M, Scarpa M, Petti L, Orlando A, Novel D, Krik S, Gaiardo A