Recent development of bioresorbable electronics using additive manufacturing

Bioresorbable electronics made of biodegradable materials can disintegrate and dissolve in a fluidic environment, leading to promising applications to replace conventional implantable devices in healthcare and consumer electronics to facilitate cycling of electronic wastes. The composition materials of bioresorbable devices require low processing temperature and anhydrous fabrication procedures, which result in high cost with low yield if fabricated through complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication processes. In contrast, additive manufacturing technology allows direct generation of complex planar and spatial structures on flat and curved surfaces. It also facilitates rapid prototyping and even mass fabrication of bioresorbable devices. This paper summarizes the state-of-the-art techniques in additive manufacturing of bioresorbable electronics, and provides opinions related to challenges and limitations needed to be resolved. Future perspectives based on our research and other associated works have also been provided, suggesting the potential trend in developing additive manufacturing technology for bioresorbable electronics.