| Apr 19, 2023 |
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(Nanowerk News) A thin, flexible gold sensor engineered at The University of Queensland (UQ) has the potential to unlock the next generation of implantable medical devices.
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Using a brand-new engineering method, researchers at UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) were able to produce a small film-like sensor that is both flexible and sensitive enough to enable more streamlined future for electronic medical implants and real-time sensing applications.
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The intricate approach used by Dr Mostafa Kamal Masud and PhD candidate Aditya Ashok represents a breakthrough in the field of flexible nanoarchitecture and, ultimately, suggests a new way to miniaturise and improve medical devices for diagnostics, biological sensing, and neurological exploration.
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| The film-like sensor designed by Dr Masud and Mr Ashok represents a novel approach to the field of mesoporous materials, which are highly porous substances with traits that benefit diagnostics, catalysis, and drug delivery. (Image: AIBN)
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“Although modern implanted electronics have developed rapidly over the past 60 years, most commercially available devices are still built on relatively similar – and limiting – design concepts such as thick ceramic or titanium packaging,” said Dr Masud.
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“We are offering a new route toward miniaturised, flexible, implanted medical devices that will diagnose and treat chronic diseases and help improve the lives of millions of people.”
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The film-like sensor designed by Dr Masud and Mr Ashok represents a novel approach to the field of mesoporous materials, which are highly porous substances with traits that benefit diagnostics, catalysis, and drug delivery.
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Using a novel hybrid fabrication process under the guidance of senior AIBN group leader Professor Yusuke Yamauchi, Dr Masud and Mr Ashok were able to synthesise a mesoporous gold film that acts as an electrode for biosensing and bioimplant applications.
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The flexibility and sensitivity of the gold film make it an ideal wearable system for real-time monitoring of body glucose, while Dr Masud said there was strong potential for implanted nerve recording applications.
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“The demand for a simple and robust fabrication process with this kind of flexible electronics is enormous,” Dr Masud said.
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“Our aim here is to see this sensor embedded in wearable devices – but the potential and possibilities in this field are vast. We’re going to be exploring more in our coming projects.”
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The research was published as an inside cover feature for the nano-micro journal Small (“Flexible Nanoarchitectonics for Biosensing and Physiological Monitoring Applications”).
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Dr Masud and Mr Ashok acknowledge Dr Hoang-Phuong Phan from the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of New South Wales as a key collaborator in their broader work.
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This includes research on implanted bioelectrodes, as published in the journal Proceedings in the National Academy of Science (“Wide bandgap semiconductor nanomembranes as a long-term biointerface for flexible, implanted neuromodulator”).
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