Organic electronics: Sustainability during the entire lifecycle

Science Daily  July 7, 2023
Organic electronics can make a decisive contribution to decarbonization and, at the same time, help to cut the consumption of rare and valuable raw materials. To do so, it is not only necessary to further develop manufacturing processes, but also to devise technical solutions for recycling as early on as the laboratory phase. To design built-in sustainability into the materials selection, processing and device architectures of all emerging applications, an international team of researcher (UK, USA – UC Santa Barbara, Germany) is promoting a circular strategy. They evaluated the status of embedded carbon in organic electronics, as well as options for more sustainable materials and manufacturing, including engineered recycling solutions that can be applied within the product architecture and at the end of life. This emerging industry has a responsibility to ensure a ‘cradle-to-cradle’ approach. They highlighted that ease of dismantling and recycling needs to closely relate to the product lifetime, and that regeneration should be facilitated in product design. Materials choices should consider the environmental effects of synthesis, processing, and end-product recycling as well as performance… read more.  TECHNICAL ARTICLE