REVIEW article
Front. Electron.
Sec. Flexible and Printed Electronics
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/felec.2025.1697449
Printed RFID Systems for Sustainable IoT: Synergistic Advances in Conductive Inks, Antenna Architectures, and Scalable Manufacturing
Provisionally accepted
Xintai Wang1*
Maksim Kuznetcov1Wenfeng Jiang1Zhongyu Tang1Zhangchenyu Wei1Aili Zhang1Naixu Wei1Xiaoying Li2*- 1Zhejiang Mashang GM2D Research Institute, Wenzhou, China
- 2School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, China
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Abstract. This review investigates the revolutionary potential of printed RFID technology in enabling next-generation IoT systems through sustainable manufacturing. The analysis systematically evaluates emerging conductive ink formulations, including metallic nanoparticles, carbon-based nanomaterials, MXenes, and hybrid composites, while assessing their performance trade-offs in electrical conductivity, environmental stability, and printing compatibility. Fundamental design strategies for high-performance antennas are examined, focusing on impedance matching optimization, radiation pattern control, and substrate-material synergy. Advances in printing methodologies such as inkjet deposition, screen printing, and direct ink writing are comparatively analyzed, with particular attention to the trade-off between performance and efficiency in high-resolution patterning versus industrial-scale production. Technical bottlenecks restricting commercial application are critically evaluated, emphasizing material property limitations and performance variations induced by the printing process. Finally, the study proposes three synergistic innovation pathways: intelligent material discovery through machine learning algorithms, multi-parameter simulation-guided antenna design, and hybrid manufacturing integrating multiple printing technologies. These integrated approaches aim to accelerate the transition from prototype development to industrial deployment of printed RFID systems. This comprehensive assessment provides actionable insights for advancing eco-friendly, mass-producible RFID solutions that meet the escalating demands of ubiquitous IoT connectivity across various smart environments.
Keywords: printed electronics, RFID, Additive fabrication, conductive ink, Internet of Things - IoT
Received: 02 Sep 2025; Accepted: 07 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Kuznetcov, Jiang, Tang, Wei, Zhang, Wei and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xintai Wang, wangxintai1984@163.com
Xiaoying Li, lixiaoying@dlmu.edu.cn
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.