Tutorial - Giovanni A. Salvatore

TUTORIAL

Giovanni Antonio Salvatore

Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy

Soft, flexible, and stretchable electronic devices provide a novel platform for the construction of skin-like devices for continuous health monitoring and for sustainable devices for the Internet of Things (IoT). Here, we describe a set of electronic devices that have physical properties, such as thickness, thermal mass, elastic modulus, and water-vapor permeability, which resemble those of the skin and chemical properties that can be design to dissolve and biodegrade. Recent progress in the design and fabrication of soft sensors with more advanced capabilities and enhanced reliability suggest an impending translation of some of these devices from the research lab to pre-commercial stage. Regarding these advances, the first part of this talk reviews materials, design strategies used in soft electronics. Next, it provides examples of applications in medical diagnostics and IoT with an emphasis on how these systems may replace conventional tools. The review concludes with an outlook on current challenges and opportunities for future research directions in wearable health monitoring.

Dr. Giovanni A. Salvatore is an Associate Professor at the University of Venice Ca Foscari since July 2024. He got his bachelor's in Electronics and Master's in Micro&Nanotechnology from the Polytechnic of Turin in 2004 and 2006, respectively. He received his PhD in 2011 from EPFL for his research on ferroelectric transistors for memory or switch applications. His doctoral dissertation was awarded the 2012 ABB Award. From 2011 to 2017 he worked at ETH Zurich and UIUC (Rogers’ group) as a senior researcher and group leader with a focus on thin film electronics, wireless epidermal devices and dissolvable electronic components. At the end of 2017, he joined the ABB Corporate Research Center in Baden (CH) to work on the packaging and reliability of electric devices. He is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and about 10 patents. His current interests fall into the concept of “sustainable electronics” with examples in biodegradable materials and devices and efficient power converters.