Layers of functional materials with thicknesses of several tens of micrometres enable a wide range of useful functions, such as energy conversion and storage, sensing of environmental stimuli, and control or amplification of electrical signals. Due to these properties, they are indispensable components of electronic devices, including sensors, transducers, solar cells, displays, and batteries. The fabrication of such layers is complex and involves the preparation of a suspension of the functional material, its deposition onto a substrate, and subsequent curing, typically at elevated temperatures. In this talk, I will present an approach for preparing a piezoelectric bimorph structure on a flexible substrate for energy harvesting. I will discuss the challenges of depositing layers of uniform thickness on both sides of a ceramic substrate and outline guidelines for achieving a homogeneous microstructure through sintering. I will then demonstrate the fabrication of miniature integrated electrochemical sensors, with an emphasis on forming the sensing layer from carbon-based materials. The presentation will conclude with an example of using the developed sensors to detect pesticides in water, a promising approach for environmental monitoring.
From laboratory to industry: how to build large quantum computers?
The field of quantum technology has seen remarkable progress over the past two decades. Recent advances have enabled the construction of quantum computers with several hundred qubits and the demonstration of quantum error correction. Nevertheless, the path towards...
