If you can break it, break it, this is soft electronics
Virginia: If you want a smartphone that can receive phone calls despite pulling and twisting, it is now possible because of the breakthrough in making a soft circuit protected from wear and tear. It works even if a hole is drilled in the circuit.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech and its affiliates have developed a brand new type of electrical circuit that can be repaired, reassembled and easily recycled. Like skin, they are flexible and soft, which is called soft electronics. They do not break the current when they bend and pull, and when they are old enough to be recovered and put into a new circuit.
At the heart of this research is Michael Bartlett, whose details are published in the journal Nature Research. Look at today’s laptops or smartphones, their circuits are very tight and permanent. Liquid metal drops have been used to make the new circuit through which electricity can pass.
Success can revolutionize electrical equipment, and flexible circuits can be used for many purposes. However, the circuit is drawn on a rubber-like polymer elastomer. The embossing process can then be used to map the circuit by mixing drops of metallic liquid.
Even after the circuit is complete, it can be completely disassembled and all its connections are lost and recycled and re-inserted into a new circuit. Thanks to soft electronics, it works even when turning too much. Even if a hole is made in the middle, electricity still passes through the liquid metal droplets because they change direction due to being liquid and form a new circuit.
Experimentally, the circuit was stretched 10 times from its original shape, but it did not break. This will pave the way for environmentally friendly, green and sustainable electronics. This is because millions of tons of garbage are being collected worldwide every year from electronics alone, which is also hostile to the environment and human beings.
These circuits can be used in space stations, robotics and military equipment.
