Subcutaneous Energy/Signal Transmission Based on Silk Fibroin Up-Conversion Photonic Amplification.

Hu, Fan; Li, Weifeng; Zou, Mingye; Li, Yanran; Chen, Fan; Lin, Naibo; Guo, Wenxi; Liu, Xiang Yang · ACS Nano · 2021

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Transmission of energy and signals through human skin is critically important for implantable devices. Because near-infrared (NIR) light can easily penetrate through human skin/tissue, in this study we report on silk fibroin (SF) up-conversion photonic amplifiers (SFUCPAs) integrated into optoelectronic devices, which provide a practical approach for subcutaneous charging and communication <i>via</i> NIR lasers. SFUCPAs achieve a 4 times higher fluorescence than the control, which gives rise to a 47.3 time increase in subcutaneous NIR energy conversion efficiency of a single fibrous dye-sensitized solar cell compared with the control. Moreover, the hybrid printed electrodes exhibited reversible switching to NIR exposure with a response time of ∼1.06/1.63 s for a 3 s ON/OFF switch. Owing to the flexible, biocompatible, and cost-efficient design NIR-driven optoelectronic performance, the SFUCPAs are promising for use in applications of subcutaneous medical electronics for charging, storing information, and controlling implanted devices.

Medical subject headings