Russian Scientists Use Laser Tuning to Engineer Materials for the Internet of Things
Researchers say the new laser-based method can tailor material properties for sensors and antennas used in biomedicine and IoT devices.
Scientists at Tomsk Polytechnic University have developed a laser processing technology that could be used to manufacture sensors, detectors, and antennas for biomedicine and the Internet of Things, according to Russia’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
The team proposed a universal material processing approach that uses a laser to transform a single sample into two fundamentally different functional materials: a copper composite or a hybrid of copper and laser-induced graphene. The resulting materials are durable, flexible, and resistant to oxidation, eliminating the need for additional protective coatings.
Laser processing of nanomaterials and selective laser sintering are considered promising techniques for producing flexible electronics. They are used to make strain and temperature sensors, as well as biomedical and IoT antennas. The new one-step method converts the material either into a copper-polymer composite with a protective shell or into copper-containing laser-induced graphene on a flexible PET substrate.
According to Raul Rodriguez, a professor at the university’s Research School of Chemical and Biomedical Technologies, the process relies on precisely controlled laser power and specific processing modes for copper nanoparticles to achieve different material properties.
From Individual Pixels to Large Areas
Yevgeny Sheremet, also a professor at the Research School of Chemical and Biomedical Technologies, said the technology can be easily scaled. It allows engineers to process both individual pixels and large surface areas, enabling precise tuning of material properties for specific device functions.
Tests showed that materials produced using the method remained stable after 100 bending cycles at humidity levels above 95% and temperatures of 70°C for three days, as well as at humidity above 95% and 40°C for 10 days. The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, and the findings were published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Earlier, we reported that researchers at Lomonosov Moscow State University’s Faculty of Chemistry developed materials that could pave the way for ultra-small, ultra-fast next-generation computers.
