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(Image credit: Stijn Dijkstra/Pexels ) Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Flipboard Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Researchers at Northeastern University have found that common materials used in biodegradable electronics can decompose into microplastics, posing a threat to the environment even after disposal. According to a study published in npj Flexible Electronics , PEDOT:PSS, used in medical research, can take up to eight years to dissolve and may break down into microplastics, potentially causing health issues. On the other hand, materials such as cellulose and silk fibroin degrade rapidly and do not release harmful byproducts.
The two team members, Electrical and Computer Engineering Prof. Ravinder Dahiya and researcher Sofia Sandhu, used a partially degradable pressure sensor and a fully degradable photodetector to study the effects of the materials employed.
“You have to look at these materials carefully,” Prof. Dahiya told TechXplore . “Normally at the end of their life, electronics are dumped into the soil. When you put an electronic board in soil, we need to understand if the electronic board, during the degradation process, in enriching the soil or if the soil is unaffected. In some cases, degradation might damage the soil permanently, and that is a big environmental and health issue.”
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/manufacturing/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/manufacturing/researchers-discover-that-some-biodegradable-electronics-produce-microplastics-as-they-degrade-the-investigated-material-is-commonly-used-in-medical-research#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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