Scientists have developed a method for printing electronic circuits onto flexible surfaces for a fraction of the price of existing techniques.

The technology, which has been developed using a standard t-shirt printer, will for the first time make it possible for electronics to be printed onto everyday disposable items.

The scientists, from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), see uses for the technology in everything from food packaging to medical supplies.

“This means we can have smarter products, such as a carton that tells you exactly when the milk expires, a bandage that prompts you when it is time for a redressing, and smart patches that can monitor life signals like your heart rate,” said Professor Joseph Chang, of NTU’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

The circuits are printed in an additive layers method similar to existing 3D printing technologies, and can be applied to a range of flexible materials such as plastic, paper and aluminium foil.

They can also be printed in a range on organic, non-toxic materials such as silver nanoparticles and carbon, giving the technology far better green credentials that traditional electronics manufacturing processes.

“Our innovative process is green, using non-corrosive chemicals. It can be printed on demand when needed within minutes,” said Chang.

“It is also scalable, as you can print large circuits on many types of materials and most importantly, it is low cost, as print technology has been available for decades.”

Chang was keen to stress that the technology is not a replacement for premium technological devices, but a way of adding circuits to low-cost everyday items.

“We are not competing with high-end processors like those found in smartphones and electronic devices,” he said.

“Instead we complement them with cheaply printed circuits that cost mere cents instead of a few dollars, making disposable electronics a reality.”

So far the team has successfully printed radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, which are already used extensively to track and monitor packages. They have also produced 4-bit digital-to-analogue convertors, which are used in speakers and headphones to convert digital signals into sound.

The team is also looking into using the technology for a range of biomedical uses that would provide both sensing and processing capabilities to everything from bandages to medical devices.

The technology has enormous potential within the internet of things, as it would allow a much larger array of devices to be connected to a central network at low cost, one of the biggest barriers to adoption of IoT technology.

Unsurprisingly, private companies are expressing considerable interest in the technology, including an unnamed multinational biomedical company.

As a result the team have formed a startup company to commercialise the technology, meaning it is highly likely that printed flexible circuits, and thus disposable electronics, will find a place in our lives.

Images courtesy of Nanyang Technological University.