Paper circuit board is a step toward single-use electronics

New York, Researchers at the State University of New York at Binghamton have developed a paper circuit board that could one day mitigate the growing problem of electronics waste or even enable single-use devices. 

The prototype replaces the metal, resin and glass used in conventional circuit boards with a single sheet of paper, wax, semi-conductive and conductive inks, screen-printed conductive metal, and a gel-based electrolyte. It was shown to work with other fully integrated electrical components. After use, the circuit board can be discarded or burned. 

Though greener than existing circuit boards, not all elements in the prototype are biodegradable. The team is now looking for ways to replace these non-biodegradable materials with biodegradable ones.