Permeable junction-enhanced roll-to-roll microfabrication for electronic devices
SUMMARY
A scalable roll-to-roll microfabrication method using salt-assisted photochemical patterning and permeable junctions for rapid, eco-friendly production and transfer of carbon-based devices onto flexible substrates. Enables cost-efficient, high-performance bioelectronics and catalytic devices.
The Unmet Need: Current device manufacturing is hampered by high cost, environmental impact, and slow, inflexible production methods, limiting the scalability of next-gen bioelectronics and smart devices
- The electronics and device industry faces increasing pressure to produce flexible, lightweight devices across diverse use cases, from wearables and medical sensors to smart packaging and environmental robotics. Traditional microfabrication relies on energy-intensive and chemically hazardous processes, raising both cost and environmental barriers, while limiting the use of sustainable substrates.
- Roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing has emerged as a scalable, cost-effective paradigm, but struggles with substrate compatibility, environmental stability, and transfer efficiency. Recent advances in photochemical patterning, particularly salt-assisted methods, have enabled the fabrication of carbon-based devices on biopolymer matrices. Integration of permeable junction strategies, inspired by biological systems, allows instant (sub-second) delamination and transfer onto various substrates-including 3D forms-without damaging device performance or requiring harmful chemicals.
The Proposed Solution: A permeable junction-enhanced roll-to-roll microfabrication paradigm that enables rapid, eco-friendly, low-cost production and transfer of high-performance electronic devices onto flexible substrates at scale
- The faculty inventor developed a novel, bioinspired, roll-to-roll microfabrication methodology for producing high-performance electronic devices on flexible, sustainable substrates. Leveraging salt-assisted photochemical patterning and a permeable junction strategy, the process enables rapid (sub-second) and eco-friendly transfer of carbon-based device layers onto a range of substrates- including paper, aerogels, tapes, and hydrogels- using water as the actuation agent. The approach eliminates hazardous chemicals and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions relative to traditional microfabrication techniques. The roll-to-roll apparatus allows continuous and cost-effective production of electronic devices at a rate of 400 cm²/hour ($1/m² estimated).
ADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES
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Instantaneous water-driven transfer and delamination (e.g., <1 second)
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Cost-efficient roll-to-roll fabrication ($1/m² substrate/device)
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Compatible with a wide variety of substrates (including 3D shapes)
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Eliminates harmful solvents and lowers carbon footprint (>97% reduction compared to conventional)
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Enables renewable adhesion/delamination and nanocatalyst design
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Scalable for bioelectronics, smart packaging, and environmental robotics
APPLICATIONS
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Flexible medical sensors and wearable bioelectronics
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High-volume RFID and smart packaging components
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Disposable environmental and catalytic robots
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Flexible substrates for energy harvesting (e.g., photovoltaics)