Stretchable and Biodegradable Thermally Expandable Composites with Microfluidics for On-Demand and Programmable Destruction of Electronics

Abstract

The lifespan of the transient electronic system can be determined in advance (i.e., predefined) or controlled via on-demand and programmable approaches using a diverse range of principles. However, in most cases, dissolution or disappearance requires an aqueous solution and is only possible for the entire system, not for specific or targeted components. Here, a soft, stretchable, thermally expandable system is introduced for precise, localized, on-demand deactivation or destruction of electronic systems. The incorporation of thermal expansion particles into a polymer matrix produces soft, resilient composites that generate substantial thermo-mechanical forces at a predefined temperature, enabling the direct collapse of electronic devices. Integration with multichannel microfluidics and wireless systems creates a vanishing, self-destructive optoelectronic system and bio-safe drug delivery vehicle for frequency-based selective release, demonstrating the broad potential of this approach in the fields of defense/security and biomedical devices as well as other envisioned areas.