Carbon supplants silicon in electronic medical sensors
Organic electronics could provide noninvasive health monitoring
BOSTON — Going organic isn’t just for produce anymore — it’s all the rage in flexible electronics. Electronic medical devices constructed from carbon-based components — the materials scientist’s definition of organic — are cheap, bendable and friendlier to the body than the old standby silicon.
Researchers discussed several such organic devices December 2 at the Materials Research Society meeting, including a sensor that detects muscle contractions and one that monitors a person’s pulse and blood oxygen levels.