Chapter 3
Integration of Three-Dimensional
Macroporous Nanoelectronics
with Materials
3.1 Introduction
Seamless integration of embedded multifunctional electronics with host materials
could transfer inactive materials into active systems, which allow the communi-
cation between the materials and external environment, and create a smart system
[ 1 , 2 ]. Traditional electronics are planar and rigid, however, most materials and
systems in our daily life are three-dimensional (3D) and non-planar. To overcome
this issue,flexible electronics have been developed to cover on the surface of other
systems [ 3 – 5 ]. However, those surface electronics are still not able to detect the
property change through the entire materials in 3D and provide a full range of
control. While we can insert rigid devices into some soft host materials, this process
are typically invasive. In addition, the mechanical mismatch between inserted rigid
electronics and soft materials could cause break and separation between them
during further movement [ 6 – 8 ]. Therefore, it is important to develop an approach to
seamlessly integrateflexible electronics with host materials. Herein, we introduce a
general strategy to 3D integration of electronics described in Chap. 2 with host
materials and also show how these embedded electronics in the host materials can
form optically addressable electronic networks and map chemical and mechanical
changes induced by the external environment in 3D.
3.2 Experimental
3.2.1 Optically Addressable 3D Macroporous
Nanoelectronic Network
Confocal microscopy was used to characterize the 3D macroporous nanoelectronic
network with silicon nanowires as functional units. The SU-8 structure was doped
with Rodamine 6G forfluorescence imaging. The macroporous nanoelectronic
©Springer International Publishing AG 2018
J. Liu,Biomimetics Through Nanoelectronics, Springer Theses,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68609-7_3
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