Grants and residencies

Research

Biotic design for stretchable, flexible, environmentally friendly, and biodegradable electronics

Application summary

With the usage of electronic equipment on the rise, the amount of electronic waste generated each day is equally growing enormously around the globe and their disposal is a serious problem. At the same time, electronics, and especially flexible and biodegradable electronics are more and more being integrated for example into medical devices, fashion items, wellness trackers and other portable devices. Many natural plant leaves are stretchable and flexible because of their unique surface features. This project aims at fabrication of biodegradable, environmentally friendly stretchable and flexible electronic devices using unique features present in the plant leaves as an inspiration. The research will be conducted at Tampere University where, we will use nanofabrication techniques and biodegradable polymers along with principles from nature to create highly stretchable electronic skins, which leave no electronic waste and can be utilized in health monitoring systems and other household electronic items.

This project advanced sustainable electronics by developing environmentally friendly, stretchable, and biodegradable electronic materials inspired by the sophisticated architectures of plant leaves. In response to the growing global challenge of electronic waste, the work explored how future electronics can be designed not only for high performance, but also for sustainability, adaptability, and responsible material use. By drawing on structural principles refined by nature, the project opened new pathways toward flexible technologies for healthcare, wearable devices, soft robotics, and human–machine interfaces.

A central focus of the project was the study of plant leaf architectures as natural models of flexibility, breathability, mechanical resilience, and structural efficiency. These biological principles were translated into advanced material and device concepts, leading to the development of flexible electrodes, transparent conductive films, microstructured dielectric layers, tactile sensing platforms, and electronic skins. The project combined biomimetic design, nanofabrication, polymer science, and device engineering in a strongly interdisciplinary effort.

All major objectives of the project were achieved. The work established new sustainable material platforms for flexible electronics, including intrinsically stretchable polymer systems, bioinspired freestanding microfractal architectures, sustainable transparent electrodes, and novel tactile sensing concepts. The project resulted in eight peer-reviewed scientific publications, strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration, and supported the training of young researchers in an emerging and globally important field.

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