In January 2019, the CORNET project PAPERONICS started as a research collaboration between Hasselt University, IMEC, KU Leuven, Fraunhofer IVV, Technical University Chemnitz, PTS and various companies from Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.
PAPERONICS aims to develop a platform for smart systems based on existing technologies such as sensors for touch (printed), temperature, or humidity; light-emitting devices; RFID tags; data processing with internal data transfer and external communication; printed batteries or organic solar cells as energy sources; actuators; and encapsulation materials/processing. The integration of selected components on paper-based substrates will lead to smart applications on labels and packaging.
PAPERONICS will reveal design and production ways for three application scenarios that demonstrate specific possibilities such as product-customer interaction, anti-tampering package and temperature logger. Paper will be used as substrate because it is temperature-stable, stiff, printable and suitable for efficient roll-to-roll processes. Furthermore, it has the potential to deliver low cost, innovative applications that can serve many purposes as intelligent packaging. Encapsulation materials to protect water vapour and oxygen sensitive electronic components (solar cells, printed wires, antennas, OLEDs) will be developed to allow processing and encapsulation in air, instead of in nitrogen/argon glove boxes, at much lower processing cost. Fully integrable energy sources will be studied to activate sensors, logic components and displays. In addition, PAPERONICS will target sustainability from the start of the material selection till the investigation of the recyclability of the final demonstrators.
For more details please visit https://www.uhasselt.be/UH/IMO/Projects/Paperonics.html