Source: Science and Technology DailyReporter: Liu Xia
According to a report from the British magazine New Scientist on the 26th, scientists from the University of Maryland recently showcased an innovative achievement at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology: they have created circuit boards using water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol through 3D printing technology and assembled electronic products such as Bluetooth speakers. This technology is expected to significantly reduce electronic waste and promote a more sustainable future for the consumer electronics industry.
Every year, billions of printed circuit boards are produced globally, widely used in fields such as automobiles, aircraft, medical devices, smartphones, and electric toys. However, only a small portion of these devices can be recycled after they are discarded—typically, they are crushed to extract reusable materials.
In the new study, the team 3D printed circuit board structures using polyvinyl alcohol (a water-soluble polymer). They injected liquid gallium-indium alloy into the channels of the circuit board to form wires, manually installed electronic components, and finally coated the assembly with polymer glue for sealing, drying it at 60°C for one hour.
Using these types of circuit boards, the team assembled fully functional Bluetooth speakers, toys, and electronic three-finger grippers. These devices have a certain degree of water resistance but will gradually dissolve after being soaked in water at 22°C for 36 hours. Subsequently, the electronic components can be easily separated, and the liquid metal breaks down into small beads. After the moisture evaporates, up to 99% of the polyvinyl alcohol can be recovered and reused.
These dissolvable circuit boards are particularly suitable for rapid prototyping and testing of electronics, offering environmental advantages over traditional circuit boards that are difficult to recycle. According to a report by the United Nations in 2022, Asia generates 600,000 tons of waste circuit boards annually, with a recycling rate of only 17%; Europe and North America each produce about 300,000 tons, with recycling rates of 61% and 44%, respectively.
However, the durability of these circuit boards is still limited, making them more suitable for prototype development rather than large-scale production. The team is currently in discussions with circuit board manufacturers to explore feasible pathways.
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