The possibilities inherent in organic electronics seem to have been taken straight from science fiction books, from pacemakers, which are composed of materials that mimic human tissues so well that the patient's body does not notice the differences, to devices that bypass spinal cord injuries to restore movement to paralyzed organs
From pacemakers, which are composed of materials that mimic human tissues so well that the patient's body does not notice the differences, to devices that bypass spinal cord injuries to restore movement to paralyzed limbs, the possibilities inherent in organic electronics seem to be taken straight from science fiction books.
These "soft" electronic materials, consisting of carbon-based compounds (and therefore called organic) are valuable as light-weight, flexible and convenient alternatives for the preparation of "hard" electronic components such as metal wires or silicon-based semiconductors. And similar to the situation where the semiconductor industry is actively developing transistors and other electronic components that are smaller and smaller, so the researchers involved in organic electronics are looking for and finding ways to shrink the characteristics of these materials so that they can be used more effectively in bioelectronics applications such as those mentioned above.
Now, a team of chemists from Johns Hopkins University has developed water-soluble electronic materials that self-assemble to form "threads" as narrow as a human hair.
"The fascinating interest in our materials lies in the fact that their size is suitable for incorporation into biological cells, meaning that they have an intrinsic potential to be used in biomedical applications," said John D. Tovar, a professor in the Department of Chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences. "Can these materials be used to conduct an electric current on a nanometer scale? Is it possible to use them to control the intercellular communication as a prelude to the construction of neuronal networks or a damaged spinal cord? These are the types of questions we are raising now and which will occupy us in the coming years."
The team used the principles of self-assembly that are at the foundation of the formation of beta-amyloid plaques, which are the protein layer associated, the scientists believe, with Alzheimer's disease, as a model for their new material. This raises another possibility: such new electronic materials may eventually be useful in simulating the formation of these layers.
"Of course, a lot of research has already been conducted, and is still ongoing, to understand how amyloids are formed and whether it is possible to prevent or disrupt their formation," says the researcher. "However, the process also represents a new efficient route for the preparation of nanoscale materials."
An article about this research was recently published in the scientific journal Journal of the American Chemical Society.
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