August 25, 2014

Research may spell demise of product barcodes

Joseph Giorgio epitomises a young Australian using innovative ideas to help shape our future in the fields of science and technology.

His research may spell the demise of product barcodes and he is also looking at preventing our smartphone batteries from running out of power at the worst possible time.

Electronic tags are everywhere in modern life. From the supermarket, to our cars and offices, and our pets, electronic tags are used to store and access information, track movements of goods, and even allow contactless payment.

But the technology is expensive and only able to be used on a small range of materials. Until now.

Joseph, an ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science third-year PhD student, is leading a team of UOW students investigating how to embed electronic circuits, or RFID (radio-frequency identification), into cheaper materials, such as paper and cling wrap.

The project was a finalist in Innovation Works!, a joint initiative between the UOW Global Challenges Program and UOW’s Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM) that helps students develop prototypes of new products.

Joseph said low-cost electronic circuits had the potential to change the way we store data.

“Currently, printed electronic circuits are made of very expensive materials, such as silver paste, which has to be treated at 120 degrees and adds to the cost. This limits the potential substrates, or printed surface, to glass or certain types of plastic,” Joseph said.

“We’re experimenting with different treatments at different temperatures. We’re hoping to be able to print electronic circuits using graphene or copper salt inks on a range of surfaces, like paper, plastic, or even cling wrap.

“If we could do that, every barcode could be replaced. If you could do it for a cent a print, it opens the door to print whatever type of circuit you want on any surface.”

If Joseph has his way, smartphone batteries will never run out at the worst possible time, laptops will never need to be plugged in and you will be able to take your television camping.

Joseph is also working on a new type of solar panel that’s paper-thin, made from low-cost material and can charge day and night.

A model now in development at IPRI is made of titanium foil and plastic, electrodes, and a coloured dye that works like chlorophyll in a plant.

“That’s what is absorbing the light,” Joseph said. “You could put it wherever you want. You could roll it out on your roof. You could take it camping with you. You could put it on the back of consumer electronics. It works better than a normal solar cell, it’s lightweight, and it works indoors. There’s no minimum light-intensity needed. They come in different colours too, so they can be aesthetically pleasing,” he said.

Joseph is working on new solar panels that fit on the back of one’s mobile phone and charge the device quickly.

“I love to do work where the research I do gets translated into a prototype that goes on the market and becomes something people can actually use.”

Joseph expects that stand-alone panels will be on the market within five years, and mobile phone-sized versions soon after.