Flexible Electronics

Work Package 9

The aim of our Work Package is to demonstrate the viability of graphene and layered materials for applications in flexible electronics. We do this by developing functional prototypes that perform better and are more reliable than current state-ofthe-art devices, or provide advantages in terms of consumer appeal, business appeal or environmental friendliness.

We carry out our research and development on graphene flakes for printed electronics, and on grown and transferred graphene and layered materials for high-performance flexible devices.

Over the past few years, we have developed a number of new sensors, prototype wearable autonomous devices for health monitoring, interactive printed electronic products based on paper and transparent electrodes to be used in the automotive industry.

Getting new technology on the market

Flexible electronics are electronic circuits on flexible, stretchable or conformable substrates. These can enable new and unconventional products like smart textiles, interactive skin patches and lightweight large-area electronics.

The main applications are in the automotive, consumer electronics, packaging and advertising, and pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. In the coming years, more and more flexible, lightweight and mobile products will hit the market.

Graphene and layered materials have unique and valuable properties: in particular, mechanical robustness, conformability, sustainability, low-toxicity and low-cost large-area production. Flexible electronics are a great way to take advantage of these properties. Designing new devices based on graphene and layered materials could allow us to get new products from the laboratory to industrial-scale commercial production.