Zurich, Switzerland - Jan. 20, 2022 - In its continuing efforts to discover and develop innovative technologies for the packaging industry, Amcor (NYSE: AMCR; ASX: AMC) announced today its strategic investment in PragmatIC Semiconductor, a world leader in ultra, low-cost electronics. Based in the United Kingdom, PragmatIC Semiconductor develops flexible, integrated circuits beyond the scope of conventional electronics. Their ConnectIC® family of radio frequency identification and near-field communications (RFID/NFC) integrated chips can be embedded into the packaging to store and relay information to devices such as smartphones. This technology will enable smart packaging applications across the entire product lifecycle – from manufacturing and supply chain management to consumer engagement and even material recovery. Frank Lehmann, Vice President of Open Innovation and Corporate Venturing at Amcor, said, “As the global diversified packaging leader, Amcor is well-positioned to tap into early-stage, cutting-edge innovation around sustainability and digitization. We are delighted to partner with PragmatIC Semiconductor to explore ways to leverage and integrate these flexible, integrated circuits into our portfolio of more sustainable packaging solutions.” Scott White, PragmatIC Semiconductor CEO, said, “We are pleased to partner with an industry leader like Amcor. This investment is a testament to the value Amcor continues to place on innovation and our collective vi...

Wireless, fully implantable device gives temporary pacing without requiring removal. Researchers at Northwestern and George Washington universities (GW) have developed the first-ever transient pacemaker — a wireless, battery-free, fully implantable pacing device that disappears after it’s no longer needed. The thin, flexible, lightweight device could be used in patients who need temporary pacing after cardiac surgery or while waiting for a permanent pacemaker. All components of the pacemaker are biocompatible and naturally absorb into the body’s biofluids over the course of five to seven weeks, without needing surgical extraction. The device wirelessly harvests energy from an external, remote antenna using near-field communication protocols — the same technology used in smartphones for electronic payments and in RFID tags. This eliminates the need for bulky batteries and rigid hardware, including wires (or leads). Not only can leads introduce infections, but they also can become enveloped in scar tissue, causing further damage when removed. The study was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology. The paper demonstrates the device’s efficacy across a series of large and small animal models. “Hardware placed in or near the heart creates risks for infection and other complications,” said Northwestern’s John A. Rogers, who led the device’s development. “Our wireless, transient pacemakers overcome key disadvantages of traditional temporary devices by eliminating the need f...

FaceBit can monitor the wearer’s health, sense heartbeat through the face. Northwestern University engineers have developed a new smart sensor platform for face masks that they are calling a “Fitbit for the face.” Dubbed “FaceBit,” the lightweight, quarter-sized sensor uses a tiny magnet to attach to any N95, cloth, or surgical face mask. Not only can it sense the user’s real-time respiration rate, heart rate, and mask wear time, it also may be able to replace cumbersome tests by measuring mask fit. All this information is then wirelessly transmitted to a smartphone app, which contains a dashboard for real-time health monitoring. The app can immediately alert the user when issues — such as elevated heart rate or a leak in the mask — unexpectedly arise. The physiological data also could be used to predict fatigue, physical health status, and emotional state. Although a tiny battery powers the device, FaceBit is designed to harvest energy from any variety of ambient sources — including the force of the user’s breathing, motion, and heat from a user’s breath as well as from the sun. This extends the sensor’s battery life, lengthening the time between charges. “We wanted to design an intelligent face mask for health care professionals that do not need to be inconveniently plugged in during the middle of a shift,” said Northwestern’s Josiah Hester, who led the device development. “We augmented the battery’s energy with energy harvesting from various sources, which means that yo...

Speaker: Doug Hackler | Company: American Semiconductor | Date: 11-12 May 2021 | Full Presentation Bio Douglas Hackler, Co-founder of American Semiconductor 2001. 30+ years of experience in wafer fabrication, process development, manufacturing and commercialization at M/A-Com, Zilog, Intel, NorTel and General Instrument. Engineering degrees from Boise State University (BSEE) and the University of Idaho (MSEE). Business degree from Texas Tech University (BBA). Doug has multiple patents and patents pending for advanced packaging and flexible technology and has published numerous technical papers. At American Semiconductor Doug maintains overall corporate and operational responsibilities. Join TechBlick on an annual pass to join all live online conference or online version of onsite conference access library of on-demand talks (600 talks + PDFs) portfolio of expert led masterclass year-round platform https://www.techblick.com/ And do NOT miss our flagship event in Berlin on 17-18 OCT 2023 focused on Reshaping the Future of Electronics. This event attracts 550-600 participants from all the world and offers a superb ambience and dynamic exhibition floor. To learn more visit https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped To see feedback about previous event see https://www.techblick.com/events-agenda...

Breakthrough regulates household temperature without consuming natural gas or electricity Scientists have developed an all-season smart-roof coating that keeps homes warm during the winter and cools during the summer without consuming natural gas or electricity. Research findings reported in the journal Science point to a groundbreaking technology that outperforms commercial cool-roof systems in energy savings. “Our all-season roof coating automatically switches from keeping you cool to warm, depending on outdoor air temperature. This is energy-free, emission-free air conditioning and heating, all in one device,” said Junqiao Wu, a faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division and a UC Berkeley professor of materials science and engineering who led the study. Today’s cool roof systems, such as reflective coatings, membranes, shingles, or tiles, have light-colored or darker “cool-colored” surfaces that cool homes by reflecting sunlight. These systems also emit some of the absorbed solar heat as thermal-infrared radiation; in this natural process known as radiative cooling, thermal-infrared light is radiated away from the surface. The problem with many cool-roof systems currently on the market is that they continue to radiate heat in the winter, which drives up heating costs, Wu explained. “Our new material – called a temperature-adaptive radiative coating or TARC – can enable energy savings by automatically turning off the radiative cooling in the winter, o...

pH sensor S-301 PET 190 μm Foil sensor for pH monitoring pH 4.5 – pH 9 The S-301 is a foil sensor with electrodes for electrochemical pH determination of samples. The accensors pH-sensor consists of two electrodes (a pH-sensitive and a non-sensitive Ag/AgCl reference electrode) on a transparent PET foil. The readings are taken by measuring the open circuit potential/voltage between both electrodes. Potential (E) and pH have a linear relationship (between the operating range of pH 4.5 to pH 9) so the pH of an unknown analyte solution can be calculated using the pre-determined slope and an offset E value (E0 determined by measuring the potential in a calibration buffer of known pH). The reference electrode and overall sensor can be used in analytes with different chloride concentrations thanks to a solid-state electrolyte layer. Once used, the sensor must be kept hydrated for further application and not allowed to dry out. The foil carrier is made of transparent PET material and the sensor is flexible, although care should be taken do not to bend the electrode spots. A connection between sensor and measurement electronics can be established via accensors connect or ZiF-connector. Contact pads are covered with oxidation protection. The data given refers to the use of the sensor in combination with the ACO accensors D-300 measurement device and our accensors iOS application. The measuring output will display the measured potential (in mV) or if the sensor is calibrated (one ...

Company: Networking Break | Date: 9-10 Feb 2022 | Full Presentation Join TechBlick on an annual pass to join all live online conference or online version of onsite conference access library of on-demand talks (600 talks + PDFs) portfolio of expert led masterclass year-round platform https://www.techblick.com/ Our next battery-related event will take place on 15-16 FEB 2023, covering 1) Solid-State Batteries: Innovations, Promising Start-Ups, & Future Roadmap 2) Battery Materials: Next-Generation & Beyond Lithium Ion The speakers include: General Motors, Graphenix Development, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fraunhofer IKTS, RWTH Aachen University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, Meta Materials Inc, Skeleton Technologies, Solid State Battery Inc, Argonne National Laboratories, OneD Battery Sciences, VTT, Leyden Jar Technologies B.V., b-Science, Rho Motion, Wevo-Chemie, LiNA Energy, CNM Technologies, Ionblox, Empa, Zinc8 Energy Solutions, Avicenne Energy, Echiontech, South8 Technologies, Basquevolt, NanoXplore, Chasm, Li Metal, Sila Nanotechnologies, Quantumscape (tentative), Fraunhofer ISI, etc https://www.techblick.com/...

The new substance is the result of a feat thought to be impossible: polymerizing a material in two dimensions. Using a novel polymerization process, MIT chemical engineers have created a new material that is stronger than steel and as light as plastic, and can be easily manufactured in large quantities.

The new material is a two-dimensional polymer that self-assembles into sheets, unlike all other polymers, which form one-dimensional, spaghetti-like chains. Until now, scientists had believed it was impossible to induce polymers to form 2D sheets.

Such a material could be used as a lightweight, durable coating for car parts or cell phones, or as a building material for bridges or other structures, says Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and the senior author of the new study.

“We don’t usually think of plastics as being something that you could use to support a building, but with this material, you can enable new things,” he says. “It has very unusual properties and we’re very excited about that.”

The researchers have filed for two patents on the process they used to generate the material, which they describe in a paper appearing today in Nature. MIT postdoc Yuwen Zeng is the lead author of the study.

Two dimensions

Polymers, which include all plastics, consist of chains of building blocks called monomers. These chains grow by adding new molecules onto their ends. Once formed, polymers can be shaped into three-dimensiona...