Scientists have learned to print sensors directly on human skin at room temperature
Electronics develops not just quickly, but directly by leaps and bounds, and if earlier flexible devices were from the category of fantasy, now it is an everyday reality.
In this post, I will tell you how scientists managed to achieve significant breakthrough and print sensors directly onto the skin. a person (just like a tattoo), which opened up a huge field for the development of special monitors to control the state of the body person.
Who learned to print sensors
A scientific group from the University of Pennsylvania has achieved success in this direction. They have designed a device that, according to assurances, can be easily and most importantly safely printed directly on human skin.
After application, the device is able to control such parameters as: body temperature as well as the level of oxygen in the blood.
But the most important thing is that after all the necessary measurements have been taken (when the device is no longer needed), the sensor is very easy to wash off under running water.
The new work of scientists is a logical continuation of previous studies by the same group. They had previously managed to create flexible printed circuit boards that could be used in wearable sensors.
There was just one problem: the printing process itself took place at a temperature of 300 degrees Celsius, which made it impossible to print directly on the skin.
In the new work, the scientists managed to significantly reduce the printing temperature by using the so-called auxiliary sintering layer.
It was its application that made it possible to reduce the printing temperature to a quite comfortable room temperature.
All ingenious is simple
As it turned out, in order to lower the printing temperature, it is enough to add a special paste, consisting of polyvinyl alcohol (found in cosmetic masks) and calcium carbonate (egg shell).
The use of this paste smoothes out all the unevenness of the skin and allows printing at room temperature.
Why do you need such electronics
As scientists suggest, such monitors can be extremely useful both in medicine and in sports, where constant control over important body parameters is required. In addition, such monitors do not constrain a person in any way, and it is easier to remove it than to apply it, you just need to wash it off with hot water.
At the moment, scientists are actively improving the device in order to significantly expand its functionality.
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