Semiconducting and environmentally responsive melanin-doped silk nanofibers for multifunctional electronic tattoos

Abstract

On-skin electronics are gaining attention in diagnostics and therapeutics due to their capabilities such as continuous real-time operation. Among them, ultrathin electronic tattoos (E-tattoos) offer the advantage of imperceptible operation, making them suitable for daily use. However, the insulating trait of polymeric materials used for skin adhesion and integration of electronics hinders electrical interfaces between electronics and skin. This study investigates multifunctional E-tattoos by materializing semiconducting silk nanofibers (SNFs) with the melanin dopant. Fabricated through electrospinning and subsequent melanin doping and graphene coating, ultrathin and lightweight E-tattoos exhibited mechanical flexibility, strong skin conformability, and high water-vapour transmission, ensuring long-term on-skin usability. Their use as electrocardiogram electrodes and in skin hydration monitoring with a high signal-to-noise ratio is possible due to the increased conductivity of the melanin-doped SNFs. In addition, light- and humidity-responsive conductivity of melanin enables the use of E-tattoos as a breath sensor and UV detector. The unique combination of bio-based materials and advanced fabrication processes enables seamless integration of electronic and biological systems. The graphene/melanin-doped SNF E-tattoos for bio-signal sensing applications offer an eco-friendly, skin-compatible, and multifunctional solution for next-generation biomedical research.

Graphical abstract: Semiconducting and environmentally responsive melanin-doped silk nanofibers for multifunctional electronic tattoos

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
31 Dec 2024
Accepted
25 Mar 2025
First published
27 Mar 2025
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Mater. Horiz., 2025, Advance Article

Semiconducting and environmentally responsive melanin-doped silk nanofibers for multifunctional electronic tattoos

S. R. Joshi, S. Lee and S. Kim, Mater. Horiz., 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D4MH01929F

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements