by josh perry, editor
[email protected]

engineers from cornell university (ithaca, n.y.) and honeywell aerospace recently announced the development of a new, transient architecture with a silicon-dioxide microchip attached to a polycarbonate shell that has microscopic cavities filled with rubidium and sodium biflouride, which are thermally-reactive and can decompose the chip.

a polycarbonate shell 125 microns thick after a vaporization test of its embedded rubidium and sodium biflouride. (cornell university)

according to a report on the cornell website, this new design is an enhancement on previous attempts at creating self-destructible electronics because it does not release harmful byproducts, does not require moisture to dissolve the circuit, and does not need a heating element or other electronic devices.

researchers said that the reaction leading to the destruction of the circuit can be triggered remotely using radio waves that open graphene-on-nitride valves, which hold the rubidium and sodium biflouride in check.

according to researchers, “the unique architecture offers several advantages over previously designed transient electronics, including the ability to scale the technology.” the architecture is stackable, so it could become the foundation for larger electronics.

there is also the potential for the technology to be used in wireless sensor for environmental monitoring or in biomedical applications.

the researchers, along with honeywell, have been issued a patent for the technology.