Renewable polymeric materials for electronic applications

Renewable polymers have attracted extensive research interest as substitutes for fossil fuel-based materials because they are sustainable and biodegradable. With the rapid increase in the applications of electronic devices, the integration of renewable polymers with electronics not only enhances the economic benefit of waste natural resources but also conserves our environment. In this review, an overview of renewable materials used in electronics, including passive components (that is, substrates, photoresists, templates and dispersion agents) and active components (that is, luminescence layers, proton-transporting layers and charge-trapping layers), as well as their future perspective is provided. The relationships between chemical structures, their morphologies and the device characteristics will be discussed. It is hoped that this review will stimulate research and generate interest in applications of renewable materials for the electronics industry. © 2017 The Society of Polymer Science, Japan (SPSJ) All rights reserved.