Flexible devices have attracted much attention because of their new roles in healthcare monitoring for extending healthy life expectancy and 3D-electronics for next-generation advanced devices. In healthcare monitoring, it is necessary to fabricate various sensors directly onto highly flexible plastic substrates for the accurate diagnosis of pre-symptomatic states through real-time monitoring. In 3D-electronics, sensing devices are very important to realize new functionalities, and they should be incorporated into complex-shaped plastic objects. In either device, inorganic materials such as ceramics and metal alloys for sensors, resistors, capacitors, illuminators, and electric source-related components are highly essential because of their sufficient chemical and physical durability. However, it was not easy to combine high functionality and flexibility due to the high fabrication temperatures of inorganic materials and the low heat resistance of flexible plastic substrates. Nevertheless, recent studies of low-temperature processes and the enhancement of precursor reactivity have achieved the fabrication of inorganic materials on plastic substrates by using new approaches. In this Special Issue, we call for papers presenting advances in flexible inorganic materials for new sensor devices. Topics in general include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Flexible sensor devices using ceramics and metal alloy components
- Low temperature direct-processing of ceramics and metal alloys on plastics
- Packaging technology of ceramics and metal alloys on plastics
- Ceramic and metal alloy films on complex-shaped substrates for 3D-electronics.
Keywords
flexible sensors
wearable sensors
bio-sensing devices
flexible ceramics and metal alloys
low temperature processing
3D-electronics
packaging technology
