Complex electronic circuits made with common t-shirt printer

The electronic circuits are printed using unique materials in layers on top of everyday flexible materials such as plastic, aluminium foil and even paper.

Resistors, transistors and capacitors are claimed to be printed using non-toxic organic materials such as silver nanoparticles, carbon and plastics.

Associate Professor Joseph Chang, leader of the NTU Singapore research group in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said their printing technique has made mass production of cheap disposable electronic circuits possible.

‘This means we can have smarter products, such as a carton that tells you exactly when the milk expires, a bandage that prompts you when it is time for a redressing, and smart patches that can monitor life signals like your heart rate,’ Prof Chang said in a statement.

‘We are not competing with high-end processors like those found in smartphones and electronic devices. Instead we complement them with cheaply printed circuits that cost mere cents instead of a few dollars, making disposable electronics a reality.’