Powering the increasing number of sensor nodes used in the IoT creates a technological challenge. The economic and sustainability issues of battery-powered devices mean that wirelessly powered operation – combined with environmentally friendly circuit technologies – will be needed.
Large-area electronics – which can be based on organic semiconductors, amorphous metal oxide semiconductors, semiconducting carbon nanotubes and two-dimensional semiconductors – could provide a solution.
Simon Fraser University (SFU) professor Vincenzo Pecunia believes that emerging alternative semiconductors that are printable, low-cost and eco-friendly could lead the way to a cheaper and more sustainable IoT.
Leading a multinational team of experts in various areas of printable electronics from SFU's campus in Canada, Pecunia has identified key priorities and promising avenues for printable electronics to enable self-powered, eco-friendly smart sensors.
“Equipping everyday...