LEAP-HI: All-Carbon Recyclable Electronics (ACRE): Realizing a Sustainable Electronics Lifecycle

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently identified the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from semiconductor device manufacturing, particularly for flat panel displays, to be one of the foremost challenges for mitigating climate change. Printed electronics potentially offer a more environmentally friendly approach to realizing semiconductor devices for use in displays.

Research completed in association with this Leading Engineering for America's Prosperity, Health, and Infrastructure (LEAP-HI) project will investigate the printing of all-carbon recyclable electronic (ACRE) materials to replace silicon- or metal oxide-based semiconductors and their high-GHG emission manufacturing processes, particularly for the flat-panel display industry. ACRE materials can bring sustainability to a product’s entire lifecycle, as the materials can be recaptured and reused – an unprecedented capability for semiconducting and insulating electronic materials.

The interdisciplinary effort will evaluate the potential for ACRE materials to increase US-based manufacturing of electronic displays with a significant reduction in carbon footprint. Longer-term success in the development of ACRE materials would reduce energy-related emissions from the manufacturing and use of semiconductor electronics and ensure that the US maintains a technological lead in this core competency and capability.

In addition to the broader technical impacts, this project has broad social impacts through the engagement of women and underrepresented minorities and the attraction of K-12 students and undergraduates to STEM careers.

The project will focus on demonstrating the viability of ACRE materials and processes in the manufacturing of electronic displays, targeting a reimagining of the electronic display manufacturing sector. These ACRE materials – comprised of crystalline nanocellulose, carbon nanotubes, and graphene – will be processed as inks at room temperature, enabling revolutionary manufacture using printing techniques.

Several fundamental research problems will be addressed, including how to print multilayers of dissimilar electronic materials without intermixing, how to design devices and circuits appropriate for printed nanomaterial-based display backplanes, and what the environmental impact is for a printed ACRE material-based technology. The team will: 1) build on promising preliminary results to develop fully printed, ACRE thin-film transistors (TFTs) on glass; 2) analyze energy and environmental impact of developed materials and processes; and 3) design and demonstrate a pixel-driving circuit with ACRE-TFTs.

Iterative engineering of ink chemistries, print processes, and printed TFT design will be key to the success of the collaborative project. Scientific discoveries will be pursued in the core chemistry, functionalization, environmental impact, and print processing of solution-phase nanomaterials. The engineering impact of this work will be increased through a consultative collaboration with a US lab-to-fab transition company with experience in printed electronics.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.