Digitally Printed Eco‐Friendly Electronic Devices
Nitheesh M. Nair, Mikel Rincón‐Iglesias, Cristian Mendes‐Felipe, Fatemeh Etehadi, Senentxu Lanceros‐Méndez, Gerardo Hernandez‐SosaABSTRACT
The sustainable life cycle of electronics is one of the major challenges of modern society. Moreover, the manufacturing of conventional electronics significantly impacts the environment due to the extensive consumption of raw materials, energy, and the release of harmful byproducts. In this regard, manufacturing of electronics using eco‐friendly materials through digital printing routes represents a promising and sustainable solution. This review discusses the state‐of‐the‐art research in this field, exploring various digital printing techniques such as inkjet, electro–hydro–dynamic jet, aerosol‐jet, and extrusion printing techniques, focusing on resource efficient manufacturing with minimal material wastage and their environmental impacts. Various eco‐friendly ink formulation strategies are discussed together with their practical application. Additionally, the review addresses various end‐of‐life management strategies such as repair, recycling, and biodegradation. Finally, major challenges associated with digital printing of eco‐friendly electronics to compete with conventional electronics are explored and future perspectives in this emerging area are outlined.