Transient Electronics

Old electronics are tricky to recycle, meaning they clog up landfills while locking valuable metals away. Now scientists have demonstrated printed circuits that can be degraded on demand, returning their materials to reusable forms.

​If an electronic device containing sensitive information were to fall into the wrong hands, it would be good if there were a way of remotely disabling it. That's why scientists have developed a method of vaporizing electronic circuits, without laying a hand on the actual device.

Our love affair with technology is leading to a whole lot of environmental problems, including a growing stockpile of discarded devices. What if there was a way for our unwanted electronics to break down so we wouldn't even need to think about the environmental impact of disposing of them?

"Transient electronics" are designed to degrade in the presence of environmental triggers such as heat, light or moisture, once they've served their purpose. Now, scientists have created a battery for such devices, that falls apart along with them when exposed to water.​

A team of researchers from the UK and China has just figured out how to create a dissolving memory resistor chip using egg whites and other degradable components.​

Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new type of "transient" electronic device that self-destructs in response to heat exposure. The work is aimed at making it easy for materials from devices that usually end up in landfill to be recycled or dissolved completely.

A group of researchers from Iowa State University is the latest to focus on the emerging field of "transient electronics," developing materials that can harmlessly dissolve away when remotely triggered.

Scientists have created "transient electronics," that dissolve once they're no longer needed.