Transient Electronics: Materials and Devices

TLDR

Transient technology aims to create electronics that disappear after stable operation, and its recent expansion into intelligence, bioelectronics, environmental monitoring, and energy storage has spurred growing research interest. The review examines recent progress in developing transient electronics. The review surveys transient materials (metals, polymers, semiconductors), design and development of transient electronics, and transient energy storage including primary and secondary batteries. The review concludes that further designs and developments of transient technology based on transient materials will enable high‑performance evanescent electronics and energy storage.

Abstract

Transient technology is an emerging field that requires materials, devices, and systems to be capable of disappearing with minimal or non-traceable remains over a period of stable operation. Electronics with the capability of disintegrating or vanishing after stable operation are becoming an interesting research topic and have attracted increasing attentions. In recent years, transience technology has been extended to intelligence applications, bioelectronics and environmental monitoring systems, and energy harvesters and storage. Although the transient concept has only a few years of development, this emerging transient technology is believed to find more opportunities in the fast development of advanced electronics. In this review, we will examine recent progress in the development of transient electronics. First, an overview of various transient materials, including metals, polymers, and semiconductor materials, is described. Second, recent progress in the design and development of transient electronics is reviewed. Third, transient energy storage, focusing on primary batteries and secondary batteries, is explored. We end the review with a conclusion and outlook, pointing out further designs and developments of transient technology based on transient materials towards high-performance evanescent electronics and energy storage.