Biodegradable piezoelectric devices for the medicine of the future

These innovative devices are based on cellulose nanocrystals and layers of degradable metals, such as molybdenum, organized in multilayer structures. Piezoelectric devicesThe are able to transform pressure or vibrations into electricity and vice versa, a feature that makes them ideal for biomedical applications such as cardiac monitoring in real time without the need for batteries.

“These devices have shown an exceptional sensitivity in the pressure detection and the ability to generate sufficient generated power to monitor the heartbeat in real time. In addition, mechanical movements in electricity convert, thus allowing you to feed small electronic devices, such as wearable or implantable sensors without resorting to batteries“, explains Luana Persano, researcher of the CNR-Nano and coordinator of the study.

The biocompatibility of devices, demonstrated through in vivo experiments and tests on lung epithelial cells and cardiac muscle, confirms its potential application in the medical field. “This technology opens new possibilities for applications such as organ monitoring, regenerative medicine and controlled release of drugs. Thanks to an innovative combination of micro and nanotechnology, we managed to make the most of the piezoelectric properties of cellulose nanocrystals and we developed a unique, flexible and high performance platform, suitable for a new generation of medical sensors, self -powered and integrated in ours body and in the environment in an increasingly natural way“, Persano concludes.

The work, carried out mainly in Pisa at the Nest of the Normal Laboratory in which CNR-NANO workshops also flow, is part of the European Marie Curie Bioimd program, and has made use of the collaboration of Alessandra Opemolla’s research groups, which He summarized the nanocrystals, and Dario Pisignano, of the University of Pisa.