We will have self-destructing devices in the future

Self-destructing electronics may sound like some science fiction, but in reality it is at the heart of an emerging field known as transient electronics, which could solve the problems that self-destructing devices currently have.

New method for self-destructing devices

Today's self-destructing devices face two difficulties, one of them is the need for water to dissolve its components and disappear and the other is the need to reach a very high temperature to achieve its destruction. It must be said that it is not necessary to fulfill both at the same time, because one is enough.

Engineers at Cornell University and Honeywell Aerospace Center have demonstrated a new method for remotely vaporizing electronic products, along with any stored information. This new method is not based on additional components in a device and does not produce harmful by-products when vaporization occurs, which could be good for biomedical and environmental applications in conjunction with data protection.

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This method relies on silicon dioxide microchips attached to a polycarbonate shell along with microscopes filled with rubidium and sodium bifluoride, chemicals that can thermally react and decompose a microchip.

This vaporizable electronics technology may sound like spy drama material but is expected to be used in environmental monitoring, the Internet of Things, sensor systems, and civilian applications. It is highlighted that part of the research was funded by DARPA's Disappeared Programmatic Resources program.

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