INDUSTRY COMMENT EUSPEN
Transient & Edible Micro Electronics Are edible electronics a thing of the future? euspen explores the possibilities currently underway A
s manufacturers continue to grapple with the demands of designing and
manufacturing “traditional” bioresorbable devices, the drive is on to add power to implantable resorbable devices, which opens up the potential for implantable or ingested products that can undertake therapeutic or diagnostic tasks, and once the desired effect or results have been achieved, dissolve in the body. Here we are dealing with a relatively new area called “transient electronics”, and while the potential for such devices in the medical sphere is obvious and could have huge positive patient and treatment outcomes, transient electronics have a use in many sectors of industry. In the medical arena companies are looking at powered devices that can be implanted in the body to relieve pain or fight infection for a specific period of time. In consumer electronics, transient electronics would mean the advent of products with a predetermined service life. For many involved in the area of micro-electronics and the chip industry - where the struggle has always been to build more and more durable components - the idea of transient electronics is somewhat counterintuitive. For the medical devices to work
in situ in the body, the electronics are wrapped in bioresorbable materials, the amount of wrapping and the degradation time of the bioresorbable material determining the life-cycle of the product. As the wrapping is dissolved, the electronic connections melt away in a matter of minutes, and the device ceases to function. For many such devices, power sources are still external, although research is focused on making and powering devices internally, perhaps through the use of thin and flexible zinc oxide which heats when bent or twisted, which could be controlled by the beating of the heart or movement of muscles. Such transient electronics work through the use of “man-made” electronic constituent parts (typically high performance electronic systems made from magnesium and magnesium oxide on thin silicone sheets), the breakdown
14 WINTER 2015 | MICROMATTERS
of which has obvious challenges in terms of toxicity and compatibility issues. How much better, though, if the electronics used in such implantable, bioresorbable, powered devices are organic? Edible electronics are made from basic edible materials and naturally occurring precursors that are consumed in common diets. Using such techniques, up to 0.6V and currents in the range of 5–20μA can be generated routinely. Inexpensive, non-toxic, sodium-ion batteries can be made that power sensors, drug delivery systems, or tissue stimulating tools made from biodegradable of bioresorbable shape-memory polymer.
implies the medicine was ingested. Developments in the area of
biotechnology like this have the ability to overcome a particular issue that surrounds the burgeoning area of biologic drug development, and could present numerous options for leading pharma players. These drugs have been found to offer huge benefits in the treatment of a variety of debilitating and chronic diseases, but as they are protein-based, they are destroyed when coming into contact with gastric acid. So saying, the administration of biologic drugs is somewhat complicated by the necessity for various injection technologies. However, edible electronics open up the possibility of being able to administer such drugs, and allow them to be ingested via oral administration. This could make therapies such as arthritis drugs that currently have to be given intravenously much easier to take. Smart pills could carry sensors and circuits and release drugs only after they have passed the harsh environment of the stomach and reached the intestine, where the drugs could be absorbed into the body.
MATERIALS & MANUFACTURE It is impossible to overstate the potential that exists using such technology, but the basic principles of design and manufacture using delicate polymers are still present, and indeed are exacerbated by the sensitivity of the organic electronic
DIGESTIBLE DIAGNOSTICS These devices can be folded down and encased within a gelatin capsule, allowing for a timed-release at a key point in the body. When the capsule dissolves, the polymer hydrates, thus initiating electrical current flow from the battery, and causing the device to open into its operational form. Such technology could power sensors that could be used to undertake internal surveillance for metabolic procedures (blood values, temperature, wound healing processes, etc.) and these devices would disintegrate after a certain time in the human body without any health risks. The palatable circuits could also be used in tablets to examine whether or when they were taken by a patient. If, for example, the circuit is no longer transmitting, it
Figure 1:
Implantable, resorbable devices are sahpping the future of medical electronics for patient diagnostics and drug administration
elements that need to be incorporated with the bioresorbable polymers. Such developments in the use of micro
electronics combined with innovative materials in precision engineering scenarios are central to the European Society for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology (euspen). euspen will be holding its 16th International Conference and Exhibition on May 30th to June 3rd 2016 in Nottingham, U.K., where the organisation will be holding a workshop in conjunction with Fabimed focusing on the development of new manufacturing routes for medical micro device development and manufacture.
euspen
www.euspen.eu T: 01234 754023
/ MICROMATTERS
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