Soon, your paper notebook could be your new tablet

What would happen if the cardboard boxes could reproduce the recipient's fingerprint? Or when a carton of milk or juice is equipped with a device that determines its expiration date and transmits nutritional and other health information about the product to your mobile device?

Will a simple method of converting paper into electronic devices, creating "smart" boxes and many other things lead to a new industrial revolution?

The problem of paper-based electronics

Manufacture of multifunctional electronic devices on paper substrates is receiving great attention. Due to its low cost, environmental friendliness, light weight and flexibility.

Unfortunately, the development of paper-based electronics is subject to significant challenges, such as their rapid deterioration in the presence of moisture, dependence on batteries as a power source, and limited compatibility with current mass production techniques.

To solve such complex technical problems, researchers revealed a new printing process that can transform any piece of plain paper or cardboard into a waterproof keyboard that you can fold and put in your pocket, in addition to that it does not require an energy source, and is not affected by moisture and heat. And dust, and it can be easily folded like any ordinary paper, and it still maintains all its electronic properties.

The new innovation was achieved by engineers at Purdue University, by converting paper into an electronic device, with the help of a 3D printer. The engineers demonstrated their innovation by printing an electronic board on regular paper to control a music device, to allow volume control and playback .

Nanoelectric Generator

The process begins by spraying a substance on the paper that makes it waterproof. After that, an electronic circuit made of nano-chips is placed on it, and it can be linked to any device via Bluetooth.

These paper devices are not affected by moisture, heat, and dust. Moreover, they can be easily folded like any regular paper, and still maintain all their properties.

This technology makes use of a special liquid and dust repellent coating, which then allows multiple circuit layers to be printed on top of the paper without any smudging or deterioration between the layers.

On the other side of the plain paper or paperboard, ink printing can then be used to indicate the pressure points (buttons) and what they represent, and these layers can be printed in any design you like, from numeric keypads to volume controls.

The device does not require a power source; Because it gets all the energy it needs by pressing the user on the keyboard, during which electrical energy is generated up to 300 microwatts per square centimeter.

Moreover, no batteries or power sockets are required to operate the final keyboard. Instead, researchers have developed a new power generation system known as a triboelectric nanogenerator, which is capable of powering the entire electronic circuit from the touch of an operator and the mechanical energy that is produced. .

When the printed pieces of paper are pressed, they can transmit signals via Bluetooth to another device like a laptop, for example.

Inexpensive Devices

"This is the first time that a self-powered electronic device has been demonstrated on paper," biomedical engineer Ramses Martinez said in a press release to the Purdue University website.

"We have developed a way to make paper repellent to water, oil and dust by coating it with fluorinated particles. This universal coating allows us to print multiple layers of circles on paper without making the ink smear from one layer to another," he added.

The technology offers a lot of useful advances, it evolves well using existing production processes, it is good for the environment (paper can simply be recycled again), it is flexible, as well as it is waterproof and customizable. Potential uses include smart packaging, or when temporary insertion devices are required.

I imagine this technology to facilitate the user's interaction with food packaging, to check whether the food is safe to consume, or to enable the user to sign receipt of the shipment, which arrives at home, by dragging his finger over the box to identify himself correctly, says Martinez. Receive your request immediately.

"In addition, our research group has demonstrated that simple paper devices can be turned into music player interfaces for users to select songs, play them, and change the volume," he says.