Project objectives:
Design and develop materials for sustainability. To this end, everyday materials, polypeptides of natural origin, and natural biodegradable polymers that allow easy conversion of electronics into compost will be explored. For conductive metal nanoparticles in carbon matrix will be developed. Particular emphasis will be placed on the use of easily available metals (moving away from rare earth metals) having good electrical conductivity and also enriching soil with nutrients after the device lifetime.
Develop fully degradable/compostable devices (multisensory patch, energy storage, energy harvesting) modules. The multisensory patch will have pH, temperature and bioimpedance sensors. Energy harvesting module will be based on organic photovoltaics and energy storage device will be 3D printed biodegradable supercapacitors.
Develop an efficient, low-power energy-autonomous, and reusable electronic module for sensor interface, energy management and optimised wireless communication network. The module will be designed for disassembly and repairability and it will be powered by degradable energy devices module. It will be used to acquire the data from degradable multisensory patch.
Validate the degradable multisensory system by using it to monitor the growth of plants during their lifetime and provide nutrient to soil when they degrade. The disposable sensors will be validated for the detection of pH-related signals in crops for white mold disease and to identify candidate genes associated with pH homeostasis. Concurrent to this, the degradability/compostability of disposable sensor and energy devices in the soil will be evaluated.