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Skin pigment could revolutionise medical electronics
Friday June 29, 2012 08:28:23 AM,
IANS
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Sydney: Melanin, the
pigment that imparts colour to the skin, eyes and hair, could soon
be the face of a new generation of bio-friendly devices used in
medical sensors and tissue stimulation treatments.
A study conducted by Paul Meredith and Ben Powell from the
University of Queensland and other scientists provides remarkable
insight into the electrical properties of this pigment and its
biologically compatible "bio-electronic" features.
"Semiconductors are arguably the most important modern day
high-tech material - they drive all modern electronics. The
majority of semiconductors are made from inorganic elements or
compounds such as silicon or gallium arsenide," said Meredith, a
professor, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences reported.
Organic semiconductors, on the other hand, are a relatively new
member of the semiconductor family and are composed of molecules
containing carbon, hydrogen and other elements, said a university
statement.
"There are very few examples of natural organic semiconductors and
melanin was thought to be the very first example, demonstrated to
be such in the early 70s," said Meredith.
Co-author Powell, associate professor, said that in
semiconductors, such as those found in computers and mobile
phones, electrons carry electrical current. However, in biological
systems, such as brains and muscles, ions carry the current.
"We've now found that in melanin, both electrons and ions play
important roles," he said.
"Melanin is able to 'talk' to both electronic and ionic control
circuitry and hence can provide that connection role," said
Meredith about the finding, the culmination of 10 years of
research and experiments.
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