In Case You Missed It
PCB Materials
“A Molecular Pathway to Corrosion-Resistant Printable Copper”
Authors: Jun Zhang, et al.
Abstract: Copper’s exceptional electrical and thermal conductivities make it essential for electronics and energy systems. Oxidation and corrosion, however, limit its long-term reliability, and existing protection strategies often involve high-temperature or multistep processing. The authors report a molecularly reactive strategy that converts copper precursors to metallic copper at <150°C, while generating an ultrathin carbonaceous and copper(I) surface passivation. Catechol-based ligands mediate copper reduction, enable low-temperature interparticle fusion, and impart surface passivation, yielding flexible copper with low resistivity and exceptional stability (>1000 hr. in acid, >200 hr. in sulfide, >240 hr. at 140°C). This strategy resolves the long-standing tradeoff among conductivity, corrosion resistance and processability for next-generation flexible electronics and energy systems. (Science, May 14, 2026, vol. 392, no. 6,799, https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aed4488)
Printed Electronics
“On-Demand Additive Nanomanufacturing of Electronics in Microgravity: Towards In-Space Manufacturing of Electronics and Functional Devices”
Authors: Colton Bevel, et al.
Abstract: On-demand manufacturing of electronics in space is critical not only to enable the availability of essential devices for long-duration missions but also to reduce spare parts inventory, decrease resupply missions, accelerate repairs, and use recycled materials to produce custom electronics. Existing ink-based printing methods remain reliant on gravity and complex ink logistics, however. Here, the authors present the first successful demonstration of an inkless, dry-additive nanomanufacturing (Dry-ANM) platform for printed electronics under microgravity conditions. A custom payload was developed and analyzed to generate, deposit, and sinter silver and copper nanoparticles during 50 25-sec. microgravity intervals over a two-day parabolic flight campaign. Terrestrial control samples were printed with identical parameters to ensure that any observed differences reflect only the effects of microgravity. In general, the microgravity-printed samples performed better or retained comparable electrical performance to terrestrial samples, with printed silver and copper achieving resistivities of 13.8μΩ·cm and 160.8μΩ·cm, respectively. By tailoring print parameters to compensate for increased particle flow under the influence of microgravity, these resistivities are expected to be driven even lower. This achievement marks a paradigm shift for in-space additive manufacturing of electronics and a significant step toward sustainable long-term space missions. (npj Advanced Manufacturing, vol. 3, no. 23, 2026; https://www.nature.com/articles/s44334-026-00085-w)
Solder Materials
“Low-Temp Solders Are Suddenly Critical for Chiplets and Photonics”
Author: Laura Peters
Abstract: Low-temperature solders are becoming increasingly attractive in the chiplet era because they promise substantially reduced package warpage while enabling the use of temperature-sensitive components such as silicon photonics, LED modules, and flex circuits. These solders are mostly used today in mobile devices, wearables, camera modules, and for thin printed circuit boards, where warpage is a significant problem. Leading-edge HPC/AI applications that must withstand high current densities and significant thermal gradients are likely to stick with the tried-and-true SAC305 solder. Nonetheless, SAC305’s high thermal budget (235° to 250°C reflow) is becoming increasingly incompatible with large, thin, heterogeneous packages with complex stackups. (Semiconductor Engineering, May 21, 2026, https://semiengineering.com/low-temp-solders-are-suddenly-critical-for-chiplets-and-photonics)
Stretchable Electronics
“Stretchable Neuromorphic Electronics for Future Human-Integrated Intelligence”
Authors: Tianda Fu, et al.
Abstract: Neuromorphic electronics emulate the computational principles of biological neural systems, offering low-power, adaptive, and parallel signal processing capabilities for next-generation intelligent systems. When integrated with stretchable platforms, neuromorphic devices gain the mechanical compliance necessary to interface seamlessly with soft, dynamic biological environments, enabling applications in wearable computing, bioelectronic skins, and implantable artificial intelligence. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in stretchable neuromorphic electronics, covering device architectures, material design strategies, underlying neuromorphic mechanisms, and novel applications. The authors discuss key challenges and outline future research directions toward advancing the performance, integration, and translational potential of stretchable neuromorphic systems. The aim is to provide a foundational resource to guide the co-design of materials, devices, and systems toward autonomous, skin-conformal neuromorphic intelligence. (International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, vol. 8, no. 4, Mar. 23, 2026, https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2631-7990/ae5004)End of article content