Imagine looking at an object, and while you watch it, it suddenly vanishes. No, it’s not a trick, but rather scientists donning the magician’s hat. And the disappearing act is made possible by “transient electronics”.
Unlike conventional electronics, transient electronics are deliberately designed to disappear after fulfilling their purpose – they could physically dissolve or degrade into environmentally benign by-products. Transient materials have been around for quite some time in medical use including transient sutures, polymer scaffolds for tissue regeneration or as drug delivery vehicles. But these can only be used for structural support or some simple functions and don't involve electronics. In 2012, a team of researchers managed to demonstrate physically “transient electronics” for the first time, and it emerged as the umbrella term for electronic devices that could disappear or dissolve after a particular timeframe.
Why do we need transient electronics?
Both for pragmatic and environmental reasons. Medical implants, for instance, if made with transient electronics, eliminate the need for their surgical removal, which reduces the risk of injury.
Transient environmental sensors could be used more widely as they would have a lesser impact on the environment. The same could be applied to the wearables market. Wearables are transforming healthcare because they are easy to use and enable people to monitor their health continuously on the go. Adding transient electronics to the mix opens up exciting new possibilities of increasing widespread access to health monitoring, while reducing the potential e-waste generated. Transient electronics could also be purposed for security devices that could self-destruct after a certain period, ensuring sensitive information is not compromised.
The requirement for transient batteries
Since 2012, there have been numerous studies, and prototypes have been getting the technology closer to the applications stage. But as Reza Montazami, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering from the Iowa State University says, “Any device without a transient power source isn't really transient.” This statement was one of hope, because in 2016, together with postdoctoral research associate Yuanfen Chen, he led the development of transient, self-destructing batteries at Iowa State University. The lithium-ion battery was capable of delivering 2,5 volts and dissolving in approximately 30 minutes when dropped in water.
As explained by the scientists in their paper, "A unique attribute of transient electronics is to operate over a typically short and well-defined period, and undergo fast and, ideally, complete self-deconstruction and vanish when transiency is triggered." Technically though, the battery didn’t completely disappear. It was made of nanoparticles that got dispersed. Still, this innovation marked a significant milestone in the field of transient electronics.
It became the first transient battery to demonstrate the power, stability and shelf life for practical use, adding a vital piece to the puzzle towards realizing the potential of transient electronic devices in our lives and making them market ready. The current version generates a very small amount of power. In the future, power needs may be met by combining several of these batteries instead of using larger batteries which would generate more power but would need longer to self-destruct.
A solution to reduce e-waste
One of the biggest advantages of transient electronics is their potential as a solution to the growing problem of e-waste. Designed to degrade or dissolve after fulfilling their purpose, these devices could significantly reduce the volume of discarded electronic components that end up in landfills.
Be it in medical implants, transient bandages, environmental sensors or degradable wearables, widespread adoption of these electronics should lower the waste generated in our increasingly digital world. Of course, these are not the only domains of potential use. As the technology matures, its integration can be foreseen in diverse applications in our everyday lives.
One fascinating market for innovation is smart fabrics. Textiles with sensors embedded in them can collect data from your body’s vitals, adapt to the temperature and weather conditions, and at times also harvest energy from the wearer’s movements. Transient sensors in smart clothing can monitor vital signs and environmental conditions, then safely dissolve after their useful life. Degrading into by-products minimizes the ecological footprint associated with traditional electronics. It fits well into the efforts for a sustainable and environmentally conscious future, contributing to a circular economy where products are designed for minimal waste and maximum resource efficiency.
How market ready are transient electronics?
In recent years, there have been significant research developments in tangible applications. In 2023 for instance, Northwestern University researchers developed a first-of-its-kind bandage that can accelerate healing by delivering electrotherapy directly to the wound site. As is the case with smart wearables, the bandage can also monitor the healing process and, once it’s done its job, harmlessly dissolve into the body. “Although it’s an electronic device, the active components that interface with the wound bed are entirely resorbable,” explains Northwestern’s co-lead of the study, John A. Rogers. “As such, the materials disappear naturally after the healing process is complete, thereby avoiding any damage to the tissue that could otherwise be caused by physical extraction.”
The researchers are currently waiting to get through further animal and human testing before being ready for further developments. Transient electronics as a group are still largely in the early stages of market readiness, but they are rapidly gaining traction. They are driven by increasing demand for sustainable and temporary electronic solutions.
Some of the challenges to look out for would be ensuring precise control over the degradation process and maintaining device functionality until the end of its lifespan, which are critical areas of research. Scalability, reliability and cost-effectiveness, too, need to be tackled before any market developments.
Standards and conformity assessment to ensure safety in applications
In making any technology market ready, especially with such sensitive electronics with predominant applications in the healthcare and environmental sectors, it is crucial to build confidence in their safety. International standards and conformity assessment services provide a great way for manufacturers to navigate the intricacies of regulatory frameworks and global market requirements.
IEC International Standards provide a framework for ensuring the safety, reliability and performance of electronic devices across the world. IEC Technical Committee 62 prepares international standards with a focus on safety and performance of medical equipment, software and systems. Standards such as the IEC 60601 series for medical electrical equipment provides some requirements concerning basic safety and essential performance that are generally applicable to medical electrical equipment. IEC 80001 helps identify and mitigate potential risks associated with medical devices in a networked environment, tackling cyber security threats and communication between devices.
IEC TC 124 prepares standards for wearable electronic devices and technologies. The latest standards under development precisely focus on heart rate measurements for wearables and measuring step counts. Work by IEC TC 119, which cover terminology, materials, processes, equipment, products and health, safety and sustainability of printed electronics, could also be relevant. For instance, its IEC 62899-201-2 standard which specifies the measurement methods for properties of stretchable substrates could help when integrating electronics in smart clothing. IEC TC 113 prepares standards relevant to electrotechnical products and systems in the field of nanotechnology in close cooperation with other committees of IEC and ISO.
In the case of transient electronics, extensive research and development still needs to be pursued before the devices will be ready for the market. But that doesn’t mean standardization activities for the area have to wait. With the pace of emerging technologies, regulatory bodies and standardization experts have started scoping promising technologies on the rise. And transient electronics are one of many emerging technologies on the radar of the IEC/ISO Joint Systems Committee on Bio-digital convergence (BDC). The committee aims to identify and assess potential new forthcoming bio-digital convergence topics. It will notably collect, evaluate and classify existing standards that are relevant in the field of BDC and identify of gaps where standards are needed.
Conformity assessment to boost trustworthiness
When entering global markets, manufacturers are advised to consider certification via IEC Conformity Assessment Systems which further bolsters trustworthiness of the product with exporters, investors, competitors and consumers.
The IEC Quality Assessment System, IECQ, enables the assessment of a broad range of electronics and associated service providers to see if they comply with the agreed international standards for safety and quality. Relevant to highlighting the sustainable properties of transient devices, manufacturers could explore certification specific to validating environmental claims. Through IECQ, the IEC offers a suite of services supporting the circular economy, including ecodesign certification, carbon footprint claims verification and a hazardous substance process management scheme. These services can apply to any organization, regardless of size, type or sector. Companies can use the IECQ ecodesign certification as proof of the veracity of their environmental claims, thus building credibility across markets and with customers.
Innovations in biodegradable materials, nanotechnology and encapsulation techniques are enabling the creation of more market feasible transient devices. As research progresses, transient electronics hold the promise of transforming various industries, from medical implants to environmental monitoring, while also offering a compelling solution to the growing e-waste crisis.
This article was originally published on the IEC website and is reproduced here with their kind permission.