The 21st century has seen an unprecedented proliferation of electronic devices, sharply altering the world economic map and human sociological behaviour, while creating socioeconomic and environmental burdens in form of massive electronic wastes. Not only does e-waste contain hazardous amounts of toxic substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, and brominated flame-retardants, but its informal disposal and low technology recycling generates additional toxic pollutants, and heavy metals. Clearly, the electronic industry is indispensable but unsustainable, demanding immediate sustainable innovations – both in materials and in device design.
Within a century of fascinating progress in electronics, viable proton-based devices are yet to be developed, although nature has given us efficient and intrinsically sustainable biological systems that are fundamentally protonic.
Taking a cue from recent advances in organic electronic and protonic devices, we target a radical, foundational and sustainable breakthrough in device & sensor innovation, using designer soap films.
As a public outreach of the EIC pathfinder project – PROGENY, a Mural was created in Sofia city – Bulgaria, with the purpose of creating a contemplation on the subject of electronic waste and its impact on nature. .. both at the planatary and at the human psychology level.