BioFlexElectronics: Biomaterials for Sustainable Flexible Electronics
Duration: 01.03.2026 - 28.02.2031
Funding amount: 2.586,084,51€
Funding by: BMFTR
Funding reference number: 031B1662
Brief description :
The BioFlexElectronics project addresses the urgent need to replace fossil-based feedstocks in the chemical industry with sustainable alternatives, thereby contributing to the achievement of the European net-zero CO₂ targets and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, less than 1% of global plastic production is based on bio-derived materials, and many existing bioplastics rely on edible feedstocks, creating competition with food production. BioFlexElectronics therefore focuses on second-generation bio-based feedstocks—particularly cellulose, lignin, and tannins—and aims to chemically modify these materials to enable their use in high-performance applications.
A key focus of the project is the electronics industry, as electronic waste represents one of the fastest-growing environmental challenges worldwide, with only a small proportion currently being recycled. Printed circuit boards (PCBs), which form the core of electronic devices, contain valuable metals whose recovery is significantly hindered by the non-degradable polymer substrates commonly used today. The project therefore aims to develop bio-based, functional, and conditionally degradable substrates for flexible printed circuit boards (flex-PCBs).
To achieve this, three application areas will be investigated: (1) bio-based substrates for conventional flexible PCBs that remain compatible with existing industrial manufacturing processes, (2) flexible substrates for printed electronics, including bio-based conductive inks and electrically conductive adhesives, and (3) stretchable substrates for applications in wearable electronics and medical sensing technologies. Through targeted chemical modification, the materials will combine high thermomechanical performance with controlled degradability, for example through solvolysis or biological degradation processes.
In the long term, BioFlexElectronics aims to advance sustainable materials for the electronics industry, promote circular economy approaches, and strengthen Dresden’s role within the European semiconductor cluster “Silicon Saxony”.
Contact:
© Kai Schmidt /IAP
Prof. Dr. Karl Leo
Chair of Optoelectronics
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