Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37779887›Full record

ArticleACS applied electronic materials2023

A Green Conformable Thermoformed Printed Circuit Board Sourced from Renewable Materials.

Amirsoheil Honarbari, Pietro Cataldi, Arkadiusz Zych, Danila Merino, Niloofar Paknezhad, Luca Ceseracciu, Giovanni Perotto, Marco Crepaldi, Athanassia Athanassiou

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in ACS applied electronic materials, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Environmental and Ecological Monitoring with Biodegradable Technologies.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Amirsoheil HonarbariSmart Materials, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova 16163, Italy.
Pietro CataldiSmart Materials, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova 16163, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9468-4009
Arkadiusz ZychSmart Materials, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova 16163, Italy.
Danila MerinoSmart Materials, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova 16163, Italy.
Niloofar PaknezhadSmart Materials, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova 16163, Italy.
Luca CeseracciuMaterials Characterization Facility, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16163, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3296-8051
Giovanni PerottoSmart Materials, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova 16163, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8467-8748
Marco CrepaldiElectronic Design Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen, Genova 16152, Italy.
Athanassia AthanassiouSmart Materials, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova 16163, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6533-3231

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) physically support and connect electronic components to the implementation of complex circuits. The most widespread insulating substrate that also acts as a mechanical support in PCBs is commercially known as FR4, and it is a glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy resin laminate. FR4 has exceptional dielectric, mechanical, and thermal properties. However, it was designed without considering sustainability and end-of-life aspects, heavily contributing to the accumulation of electronic waste in the environment. Thus, greener alternatives that can be reprocessed, reused, biodegraded, or composted at the end of their function are needed. This work presents the development and characterization of a PCB substrate based on poly(lactic acid) and cotton fabric, a compostable alternative to the conventional FR4. The substrate has been developed by compression molding, a process compatible with the polymer industry. We demonstrate that conductive silver ink can be additively printed on the substrate's surface, as its morphology and wettability are similar to those of FR4. For example, the compostable PCB's water contact angle is 72°, close to FR4's contact angle of 64°. The developed substrate can be thermoformed to curved surfaces at low temperatures while preserving the conductivity of the silver tracks. The green substrate has a dielectric constant comparable to that of the standard FR4, showing a value of 5.6 and 4.6 at 10 and 100 kHz, respectively, which is close to the constant value of 4.6 of FR4. The substrate is suitable for microdrilling, a fundamental process for integrating electronic components to the PCB. We implemented a proof-of-principle circuit to control the blinking of LEDs on top of the PCB, comprising resistors, capacitors, LEDs, and a dual in-line package circuit timer. The developed PCB substrate represents a sustainable alternative to standard FR4 and could contribute to the reduction of the overwhelming load of electronic waste in landfills.

Identifiers

PMID37779887
PMCPMC10537457

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.