(Invited) Smart Nanomembranes for Multifunctional Sensors and Reconfigurable Electronics

Abstract

Following the path of More than Moore requirements, functionalization and diversification of integrated circuits becomes an urgent topic. Integration of functions in a single chip is also an important issue in wearable and portable electronics. Smart nanomembranes, with thickness ranging from several to hundreds of nanometers, is considered as an ideal candidate in these circumstances for its flexibility. The word “smart” shows that these nanomembranes can perform sensing and actuating tasks by themselves, which largely reduces the complexity of flexible sensors and devices. The talk given here is focused on our recent progress in the development of smart nanomembranes for flexible sensors and reconfigurable electronics. Combined with sensing-type smart nanomembranes as palladium and hydrogel, we designed a multifunctional soft platform to detect different kinds of signals (e.g. gas and humidity), which can be integrated into a smart digital dust device. Furthermore, smart nanomembranes with actuation properties were applied in reconfigurable electronic devices. These nanomembrane-based devices are able to be stabilized in different configurations to provide particular and switchable electronic functions. These investigations highlight the great potential of smart nanomembranes in flexible electronics. And their unique sensing and actuating properties paves the way to intelligent robots in micro and nanoscale.