Scientists create wood-based computer chips

There’s no doubt that they create a lot of e-waste that results in harmful chemicals getting dumped into the environment.

According to ScienceDaily, some researchers are working on developing a way to solve this problem by developing wood-based semiconductor chips that will actually biodegrade naturally if they’re left in the wilderness.

The report further says that a team of researchers led by UW-Madison electrical and computer engineering professor Zhenqiang Ma has published new research showing that it’s possible to replace a semiconductor’s support layer with cellulose nanofibril, a wood-based material that’s known for its flexibility.

“The majority of material in a chip is support,” Ma explains. “We only use less than a couple of micrometers for everything else. Now the chips are so safe you can put them in the forest and fungus will degrade it. They become as safe as fertilizer.”

The report also said researcher Zhiyong Cai explained that the team used an epoxy coating on the cellulose nanofibril to both make its surface smoother and to eliminate moisture within the material that could make it expand.

The group doesn’t believe its designs will immediately catch on, especially since manufacturers have already made producing cheap semiconductors into a science.

Regardless, they think their chip designs offer more flexibility than current chips, which will make them more attractive to manufacturers designing tiny wearable computers.