Plant-Based Completely Biodegradable Printed Circuit Boards

Completely biodegradable printed circuit boards (PCBs) have been developed using biocomposites made from natural cellulose fibers extracted from banana stems and wheat gluten, which are normally considered as agricultural wastes or coproducts. PCBs were fabricated using these composites with properties suitable for electronic applications. The biocomposites are free of chemicals, and an environmentally benign approach was adopted to fabricate the PCBs. Conventional PCBs are critical components in electronics and are currently made using fire resistant plastics (FRPs). FRPs are typically made using glass fibers and epoxy, which are nonbiodegradable when disposed in the environment. Several attempts have been made to develop environmentally friendly PCBs and other electronic components. Although dissolvable electronics and foldable PCBs have been reported, so far, there are no 100% biodegradable PCBs. The dielectric constant for banana fiber/wheat gluten composite varied between 2–36, which is in the range of dielectric materials used for PCB and other electronic components. A significant amount of heat (up to 45 °C) was dissipated through the biocomposite preventing overheating and thus reducing risk of fires. PCBs did not show any deterioration in performance even after exposure to high humidity (90%) or high temperature (100 °C). LED connected to the PCB was able to glow without any interruption. Natural fibers and protein-based PCBs may provide an alternative to the synthetic polymer-based electronic components and help us to reduce the environmental burden due to the disposal of electronic waste (e-waste).