Large Area Energy Harvesting Devices via Roll-to-Roll Printing

FlexTech Alliance announced the awarding of several development agreements in the field of flexible, printed electronics. The R&D agreements, which are primarily focused on project demonstrators, are a result of the 2014 FlexTech RFP which was supported by the US Army Research Laboratory. The awards included; $645,000 to Clemson University for the production of large-area energy harvesting devices via roll-to-roll printing processes. The goal of this project is to achieve large-format, energy-harvesting arrays produced on an industrial scale.

Additional awards included: PARC, a Xerox Company – Digital Fabrication of Flexible Large-Area Hybrid Sensing Systems – The goal of this project is to develop a digitally-fabricated hybrid electronic sensor platform on a flexible substrate that is easily customizable to multiple sensor types. The project will culminate in a demonstration for a structural health monitoring application based on printed strain sensors. Total cost = $409,000. And Arizona State University – Flexible Electric Field Imaging Blanket – The goal of this project is to demonstrate the world’s first electric field imaging blanket with a 4” diagonal array capturing the spatial electrical activity of circuitry. Total Cost = $224,000.

“FlexTech congratulates PARC, Clemson University and Arizona State University on these awards, which continue our partnership with the US Army to further the development of the flexible electronics industry,” stated Michael Ciesinski, FlexTech’s president. “Industry and the military services are seeking advancements in sensors and power sources, which we addressed in the 2014 RFP.”