Faculty - Tricia Breen Carmichael | Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Tricia Breen Carmichael

Surface and Materials Chemistry
Ph.D. (University of Windsor)
tbcarmic@uwindsor.ca
Professor
253-3000 Ext. 3538
373-6 Essex Hall
http://www.carmichaellab.com

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

The Carmichael group conducts interdisciplinary research in materials science with two areas of focus:

Wearable Electronics

DiagramDescription automatically generated

Transforming hard, rigid electronics into pliable devices that can conform to the contours of the human body will redefine the human-computer interaction, delivering electrical functions like biosensors, illumination, and energy storage to the human body. Our group uses materials science approaches to integrate electronic materials and devices with soft, rubbery elastomers that can be laminated on the skin, intimately connecting devices with humans. We also use fabrics as a platform for wearable electronics to make interacting with devices as simple as getting dressed. Both approaches face the challenge of mismatched mechanical properties of rigid electronics and the softness of rubber or textile substrates. Our research program engineers the properties of elastomers, textiles, and functional materials to create new wearables, such as stretchable wiring integrated in clothing to connect devices, wearable strain sensors designed to detect body motion and measure vital signs like heartrate and respiration, wearable light-emitting fabrics, and textile-based batteries.

Green Printed Electronics

The Internet of Things (IoT) is connecting billions of smart devices across the world, many of which will be low-cost sensors to monitor food supplies, environmental conditions of air and water, and human health. In particular, sensors that transform packaging for consumer goods into smart packaging are especially important to not only detect detrimental effects, such as temperature increases, excessive shock/vibration or pH and moisture, but will also signal when corrective action is needed to prevent irreparable damage to the package content. Low-cost manufacturing is essential for smart packaging to enable the fabrication of devices inexpensive enough to be disposable. Printed electronics (PE) combines conventional printing methods with conducting, dielectric, and semiconducting inks for high throughput and low-cost manufacturing. However, the sheer number of printed sensors forecast for the IoT also presents a critical environmental challenge, making it essential that both the manufacturing processes and end-of-life disposal of devices are eco-friendly and green. We are developing environmentally benign, sustainable, and non-harmful materials and new PE manufacturing methods to produce sensors that are recyclable or biodegradable to alleviate the enormous amount of e-waste that is already a global problem.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

S. S. Mechael, G. D’Amaral, T. B. Carmichael (2023) Debossed Contact Printing as a Patterning Method for Paper- Based Electronics ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 15, 44422–44432

R. N. Hussein, K. Schlingman, C. Noade, R. S. Carmichael, and T. B. Carmichael (2022) Shellac-Paper Composite as a Green Substrate for Printed Electronics Flex. Print. Elec. 7, 045007

Y. Wu, S. S. Mechael, T. B. Carmichael (2021) Wearable E-Textiles Using a Textile-Centric Design Approach Acc. Chem. Res. 54, 4051-4064

S. S. Mechael, Y. Wu, Y. Chen, T. B. Carmichael (2021) Ready-to-Wear Strain Sensing Gloves for Human Motion Sensing, iScience 24, 102525

Y. Wu, S. S. Mechael, Y. Chen, T. B. Carmichael (2020) Velour Fabric as an Island-Bridge Architectural Design for Stretchable Textile-Based Lithium-Ion Battery Electrodes ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 12, 51679-51687.

Y. Wu, S. S. Mechael, C. Perez-Lerma, R. S. Carmichael, T. B. Carmichael (2020) Ultrasheer Fabrics as Transparent Electrodes: A Textile-Centric Approach to Stretchable and Wearable Light-Emitting e-Textiles with Changeable Display Patterns, Matter, 2, 882-895.

Y. Chen, R. S. Carmichael, T. B. Carmichael (2019) Patterned, Flexible, and Stretchable Silver Nanowire/Polymer Composite Films as Transparent Conductive Electrodes ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 11, 31210-31219.

AWARDS and DISTINCTIONS:

2023 - Mary Lou Dietz Equity Leadership Award, for demonstrating leadership through contributions to creating an equity culture on campus

2022 - NanoOntario Mid-Career Award, for Achievements in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Ontario

2022 - Faculty of Science Research Impact Award (for Excellence in Research)

2021 - University of Windsor Outstanding Faculty Research Award, Established Scholars/Researchers category, (for Excellence in Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity)

2020 - University of Windsor Impact Award (for co-organizing the first LGBTQ+ in STEM conference in Canada)

2020- University of Windsor Office of Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility OHREA Award (for co-organizing the first LGBTQ+ in STEM conference in Canada)

Back to Faculty