Special Issue of Advanced Materials Technologies on Green Electronics

This Special issue in Green Electronics published in Advanced Materials Technologies highlights recent developments in the field of low environmental- and human-toxicity optoelectronic technologies and their powering elements (batteries and super capacitors). Emphasis is made on eco-design (e.g. use of abundant materials as opposed to critical and deposition techniques for low device embedded energy), green chemistry principles, biocompatibility and innovative device end-of-life scenarios such as bioresorbability and biodegradability. This special issue includes a pertinent and timely state-of-the-art through reviews on eco-friendly electronics, in admt.202001263, chlorophylls as molecular semiconductors, in admt.202100245, as well as green materials and technologies for sustainable organic transistors, in admt.202100445. Biocompatible and biodegradable light-emitting materials and devices are discussed in admt.202100006. Three reviews cover the area of bio-inspired devices and technologies: bio-inspired artificial vision and neuromorphic image processing devices, in admt.202100144; conductive polymer-based biointegrated interfaces and devices from skin to brain, in admt.202100293; and biocompatible and nano-enabled technologies for biological modulation of cells and tissues, in admt.202100216 (Figure 1). Human-machine and biomedical devices and technologies are also part of the state-of-the-art: on-skin stimulation devices for haptic feedback and human-machine interfaces are discussed in admt.202100452 and organic–ionic devices for body-integrated electronics, in admt.202001273. Solutions for self-power capability in electrical stimulation drug delivery systems are reported in admt.202100055. Research articles dealing with eco-friendly developments in device fabrication processes report on hybrid 3D/inkjet-printed neuromorphic transistors, in admt.202000798, aqueous solution processing and printing for metal oxide ion-gated transistors, in admt.202100843, cellulose nanocrystal-based bio-memristor for neuromorphic computing, in admt.202100744, all paper, inkjet-printed tactile sensors, in admt.202100428, and structural engineering of silk biopolymer-interlayer biosensors to monitor nutrients in food, in admt.202100666. The use of abundant carbon-based materials, possibly bio-sourced, for electrocatalytic and electrochemical energy storage applications is described in tailoring electropolymerized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) films for oxygen reduction reaction (admt.202100277) and quinones from biopolymers and small molecules milled into graphite electrodes (admt.202001042). Exciting transient electronics technologies deal with biodegradable molybdenum/polybutylene adipate terephthalate conductive paste, in admt.202001297, large-area transient conductive films obtained through photonic sintering of two-dimensional materials, in admt.202100439, and transient neurovascular interfaces for minimally invasive neural recording and stimulation, in admt.202100176. We believe that this special issue offers the opportunity to think about interactions and exchanges between fields as diverse as low embodied energy fabrication techniques, biocompatible and bioresorbable organic electronics devices, biological modulation of cells and living tissues and transient electronics end-of-life scenarios. Such interactions and exchanges should stimulate research on human-machine interfaces, e.g. to develop technologies capable to monitor and stimulate biological signals in self-powered wearable electronics. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Clara Santato (PhD, Geneva U, 2001), Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Organic Electronics: Materials, Processes Devices, is a Professor in the Department of Engineering Physics at Polytechnique Montreal. Her background is in photoelectrochemistry and organic electronics. Clara is the PI of a Canada-wide Collaborative Research and Training Experience in Sustainable Electronics and Eco-Design (CREATE SEED, 2020-2026) initiative, funded by NSERC, bringing together some 20 universities and industrial partners in Canada and abroad. Mihai Irimia-Vladu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria. His research interests are focused on the development of environmentally friendly, biodegradable and biocompatible, ‘green' materials for electronic circuits, photovoltaics and energy harvesting. Maria Holuszko (MASc, PhD, Peng) is a professor at the Mining Engineering, University of British Columbia, (UBC) Vancouver, Canada. She has more than 25 years of experience, working with industry, governments and academia in the area of mineral processing. In 2015 she co-founded Urban Mining Innovation Center at UBC, which carries out research in the area of recycling of e-waste. Her research interests are in the e-waste recycling and promoting circular economy in electronics. Lan Yin is an Associate Professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. She received her PhD from Carnegie Mellon University in 2011 and worked as a postdoctoral research associate at MIT and UIUC between 2011-2015. She joined Tsinghua University since 2015 and her research interest are in biodegradable materials and electronics targeting biomedical applications.