| Sep 18, 2025 |
Researchers have created a prototype electronic device using a material made from seafood waste, paving the way for safe, flexible and sustainable wearable health sensors.
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(Nanowerk News) A team from the QUT Centre for Materials Science has demonstrated that chitosan, a naturally derived, biodegradable biopolymer recovered from seafood waste such as Red Claw shrimp, Rock lobster and squid, can be used with a high-performance conducting polymer film to create a new class of wearable electronic transistors.
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The research, published in Small Structures (“PEDOT:Tosylate on Biocompatible Chitosan Film by Vapor Phase Polymerization: Promising Technology toward Biocompatible and Wearable Organic Electrochemical Transistor”), is a step towards the development of wearable biocompatible biosensors which could be able to monitor health in real-time without compromising comfort, safety or the environment.
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| The device created by QUT researchers using seafood waste.. (Image: QUT)
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Lead researcher Professor Prashant Sonar said the study was a significant step in building the next generation of wearable biomedical devices using sustainable electronic approach.
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“We have successfully shown that a film made from chitosan, a biopolymer derived from seafood waste, when coated with a conducting polymer, can act as the foundation for flexible transistors,” Professor Sonar said.
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“Not only do these devices work electrically, they are biocompatible, meaning they can safely interact with human cells, and they are mechanically strong enough to withstand bending and movement.
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“That makes them ideal for future wearable health monitors.”
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Chitosan is already widely used in biomedical applications because it is non-toxic and biodegradable.
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Using a process called vapor phase polymerisation (VPP) in collaboration with University of South Australia, the researchers coated thin with PEDOT:Tosylate film on chitosan, a material known for high conductivity.
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The result was a bendable, skin-friendly electronic film that maintained high performance even when flexed hundreds of times.
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QUT PhD researcher Chattarika Khamhanglit, the study’s first author, said the devices showed remarkable mechanical resilience and durability.
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“Our prototype retained up to 97 per cent of its electrical performance after repeated bending tests,” Ms Khamhanglit said.
“This gives us confidence these materials could be used in real-world applications such as health sensors that move with the body without losing accuracy.”
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The research was led by QUT but also involved key collaboration with Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, where researchers contributed expertise in organic transistors where the active PEDOT:Tos coated devices conductance varies via electrolyte gating which is needed for biological sensing.
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The study also involved partners from the QUT Centre for Biomedical Technologies and Central Analytical Research Facility.
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The QUT researchers involved in the research are: Chattarika Khamhanglit, Vithya Sahar Sethu Madhavan, Joshua McDonald, Professor Prashant Sonar from the School of Chemistry and Physics; Antonia RuJia Sun, Associate Professor Indira Prasadam, Professor YuanTong Gu from the School of Mechanical, Medical & Process Engineering; and Dr Yanan Xu from the QUT Central Analytical Research Facility (CARF).
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Professor Sonar said biocompatible transistors could become the foundation for wearable biosensors that monitor vital signs or detect disease biomarkers.
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“Imagine a lightweight patch that can comfortably adhere to the skin and provide continuous, accurate health information to doctors or patients,” Professor Sonar said.
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“This work shows that such devices can be made from safe, sustainable materials sourced from nature.”
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The next stage of the research will focus on integrating the chitosan-based devices into biosensing platforms for specific health applications, including non-invasive monitoring and point-of-care diagnostics.
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