STTR Phase I: Biodegradable Electronic Sensors to Measure Environmental Data for Perishable Goods

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是最大限度地减少食物浪费，减少电子传感器浪费，并开发一种印刷的、可生物降解的电子传感器。据联合国统计，全世界每年浪费的食物价值2.4万亿美元，其中大部分费用用于运输。电子垃圾约为5000万吨/年，全球回收率不到18%。目前，一次性传感器用于防止食物浪费，但这些传感器有助于电子垃圾问题。拟议的印刷，可生物降解的传感器将提高科学和技术的理解，从一次性移动到按需可生物降解的传感器。拟议技术所解决的市场机会在食品供应链中超过3000亿美元，在更广泛的易腐市场中甚至更大。与其他使用一次性或半可回收材料的公司相比，向印刷可生物降解传感器的技术转变将提供竞争优势。这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目涉及开发碳基、可打印的电子材料，以生产用于测量温度和湿度的可生物降解传感平台。电子传感器的激增继续提供对变革性数据的访问，改善健康，环境和交通。然而，由此产生的电子传感器浪费是一个严重的问题，排除了用于某些应用。该项目将使用石墨烯进行导电，碳纳米管用于半导体，结晶纳米纤维素用于绝缘墨水，可以在纤维素薄膜上打印成温度和湿度传感器（即，纸）。技术障碍包括这些全碳墨水的共整合，目标电气特性的实现以及功能传感器的产量。该项目的目标包括：（1）纳米材料油墨的配方，用于在可生物降解的基材上共同印刷;（2）气溶胶喷射印刷工艺的开发;以及（3）从印刷的碳基纳米材料中演示温度和湿度传感器。为了实现这些目标，这些碳基油墨的配方创新将是必需的，沿着传感器配置的设计，产生可靠的温度和湿度测量。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact / commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to minimize food waste, reduce electronic sensor waste, and develop a printed, biodegradable, electronic sensor. According to the United Nations, food waste is valued at $2.4 trillion/year worldwide with the majority of the expense attributed to transport. Electronic waste is approximately 50 million tons/year with less than 18% being recycled globally. Currently, disposable sensors are used to prevent food waste, yet these sensors contribute to the electronic waste problem. The proposed printed, biodegradable sensors will enhance scientific and technological understanding to move from disposable to on-demand biodegradable sensors. The market opportunity addressed by the proposed technology is over $300 billion in the food supply chain and even larger in the broader perishable markets. The technological shift to printed, biodegradable sensors will provide a competitive advantage compared to other companies that are using disposable or semi-recyclable materials. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project involves the development of carbon-based, printable, electronic materials to produce a biodegradable sensing platform for measuring temperature and humidity. The proliferation of electronic sensors continues to provide access to transformative data, improving health, the environment, and transportation. However, resultant electronic sensor waste is a critical concern that precludes use for certain applications. This project will use graphene for conducting, carbon nanotubes for semiconducting, and crystalline nanocellulose for insulating inks that can be printed into temperature and humidity sensors on a thin film of cellulose (i.e., paper). Technical obstacles include the co-integration of these all-carbon inks, realization of target electrical properties, and yield of functional sensors. The goals of this project include: (1) the formulation of nanomaterial inks for their co-printing onto biodegradable substrates; (2) the development of aerosol jet printing processes; and (3) the demonstration of temperature and humidity sensors from the printed carbon-based nanomaterials. To achieve these goals, innovations in the formulation of these carbon-based inks will be required, along with the design of sensor configurations that yield reliable temperature and humidity measurements. More than a dozen distinct sensor designs will be explored, and iterative tuning of ink and sensor designs will take place.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.