The symposia will cover topics related to flexible electronics, materials aspects and their application. The need for flexible, stretchable and biocompatible electronics has resulted in escalated research of nanomaterials that can have improved and new functionalities to enable new-age electronic devices. The desired characteristics can be achieved through control of bandgap, chemical composition, structural schemes, light manipulation and tunable mechanical stiffness. However, fabricating flexible electronic devices and circuits with nanomaterial is another challenge. Most of the desired substrates cannot withstand harsh conditions of traditional electronics microfabrication. Hence, direct-write methods, 3D printing, and transfer printing are gaining attention. Much effort has been poured in understanding underlying mechanisms and process parameters of emerging fabrication techniques. Novel functional materials together with new ways of fabrication are enabling exciting new class of devices for applications in wearables, soft robotics, sensors, human-machine interface and healthcare to help address important societal challenges.
This symposium aims to bring together experts from across the globe to discuss latest research and provide platform for potential collaborations in the following exciting topics.
- Electronic skin
- Self-healable materials
- Soft robotics and actuators
- Flexible and stretchable materials and devices
- Wearable (on-body or in-body) sensors, devices and power sources
- Healthcare and biomedical applications
- Conformable hybrid sensors and devices
- Flexible inorganic hybrid electronics
- Mechanics and design of wearable and stretchable electronics
- Nature inspired devices and systems
- Up-scaling: from small area cells to large area modules
Hortense Le FerrandCarlos Sánchez-Somolinos holds a CSIC Research Scientist position at INMA where he leads the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory. His expertise and scientific objectives are focused on the development of polymers and their processing through advanced manufacturing techniques (direct laser writing, inkjet and 3D printing) in the search of polymeric surfaces or functional systems of interest in the areas of optics, biomedicine and soft robotics. He has recently developed at INMA the 4D printing of liquid crystal elastomers, a technique that introduces intelligent character to 3D printed structures, programing,though additive manufacturing, material response to external stimuli. He has published more than 80 papers in internationally recognized journals, and 5 book chapters. He is coinventor in 18 patents, almost all of them with Industry as co-proprietary and one of them leading to the formation of a spin-off company. Very much focused on the transfer of technology, he has undertaken lines of research in the functionalization of surfaces in direct collaboration with Industries (Bosch -BSH Spain- and Dupont Lightstone). He has previously participated in five EU projects, one of them as a PI at CSIC (FP7-SME-2013, ID.: 605934), and has led several National and Regional Research projects and contracts, some of them fully financed by Industry. Currently, he is coordinator of the PRIME FET-OPEN H2020 project, dedicated to the development of a platform of materials and advanced manufacturing techniques to create active and easy-to-operate microfluidic devices (ID: 829010). He is also coordinator of the STORM-BOTS ITN H2020 project on soft robotics of liquid cryistal elastomers (ID: 956150). In 2017 he was awarded with the Prize of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Zaragoza (Physics Section).
Ricky WildmanWai Yee Yeong