The Internet of Things (IoT) would greatly improve daily living if smart sensors could be embedded in commonplace items and places. However, this would require trillions of these tiny devices. Professor Vincenzo Pecunia of Simon Fraser University thinks that new alternative semiconductors that are printable, inexpensive, and environmentally benign could pave the way for a more affordable and sustainable IoT.
Pecunia has identified major priorities and prospective possibilities for printable electronics to enable self-powered, environmentally friendly smart sensors. She is in charge of an international team of top professionals in several fields of printable electronics. His forward-looking insights are outlined in his paper published on Dec. 28 in Nature Electronics.
“Equipping everyday objects and environments with intelligence via smart sensors would allow us to make more informed decisions as we go about in our daily lives,” says Pecunia. “Conventional semiconductor technologies require complex, energy-intensity, and expensive processing, but printable semiconductors can deliver electronics with a much lower carbon footprint and cost since they can be processed by printing or coating, which require much lower energy and materials consumption.”
According to Pecunia, the solution may lie in creating printable electronics that may operate utilizing energy gathered from the environment, such as omnipresent radiofrequency signals or ambient light.
Not only to become a global player in next-generation, eco-friendly electronics, but also to overcome its reliance on electronics from faraway countries and the associated supply chain and geo-political issues. Our hope is that these semiconductors will deliver eco-friendly technologies for a future of clean energy generation and sustainable living, which are key to achieving Canada’s net-zero goal.
Professor Vincenzo Pecunia
“Our analysis reveals that a key priority is to realize printable electronics with as small a material set as possible to streamline their fabrication process, thus ensuring the straightforward scale-up and low cost of the technology,” says Pecunia. “The article outlines a vision of printed electronics that could also be powered by ubiquitous mobile signals through innovative low-power approaches essentially allowing smart sensors to charge out of thin air.”
“Based on recent breakthroughs, we anticipate that printable semiconductors could play a key role in realizing the full sustainability potential of the Internet of Things by delivering self-powered sensors for smart homes, smart buildings, and smart cities, as well as for manufacturing and industry.”
Pecunia has previously demonstrated printed electronics with record-low power dissipation and the first-ever printable devices powered by ambient light via small printable solar cells, making significant strides toward self-powered printable smart sensors.
His research team at SFU’s School of Sustainable Energy Engineering specializes on the creation of cutting-edge strategies for printable, eco-friendly solar cells and electronics for use in the next smart products.
Pecunia points out that the semiconductor technologies being developed by his team may one day make it possible to integrate electronics, sensors, and energy harvesters seamlessly at a single production site at the touch of a “print” button, thereby lowering the carbon footprint, supply chain issues, and energy costs related to long-distance transport in conventional electronics manufacturing.
“Due to their unique manufacturability, printable semiconductors also represent a unique opportunity for Canada,” he says. “Not only to become a global player in next-generation, eco-friendly electronics, but also to overcome its reliance on electronics from faraway countries and the associated supply chain and geo-political issues.”
“Our hope is that these semiconductors will deliver eco-friendly technologies for a future of clean energy generation and sustainable living, which are key to achieving Canada’s net-zero goal.”
