Ultrathin material developed at ßŮßÇÂţ» advances technology for bio-integrated electronics
PhD student leads research on multifunctional fibrous mats created through electrospinning technique
Wearable bioelectronics are all the rage in the future. Nearly every science fiction film and television show seems to include some kind of sensor or communications device that adheres to the skin and offers a steady stream of data.
Developing the right material today for that kind of technology — something that’s flexible, durable, reliable and conductive — is a delicate balance of factors to make it both functional and comfortable.
New research from ßŮßÇÂţ» puts us closer to a solution. In , a team from the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Department of Biomedical Engineering has developed a promising method to create multifunctional fibrous mats that can be used in many medical applications.
Working in Associate Professor Ahyeon Koh’s lab, Joab Dorsainvil, MS ’23, PhD ’25, led work on a new variation of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a silicone-based and biologically inert material widely used for flexible and stretchable electronics. To combat the water-repelling (hydrophobic) nature of PDMS, the ßŮßÇÂţ» team added a polymer called polyethylene glycol (PEG) that is water-friendly (hydrophilic).
Koh called the ultrathin, nonwoven and stretchable mat “a groundbreaking material for bio-integrated bioelectronics.”
“Joab led this collaborative project within the Biomedical Engineering Department,” she said, “and he worked alongside undergraduate and master’s researchers as well as other PhD candidates from various fields of expertise. I am very excited about this and the future collaborative work that lies ahead.”
The interlocked structures of the fibrous mats are formed through electrospinning, a process that uses electric fields to produce ultrafine polymer fibers in the nanometer to micrometer range. The porous material is better for wearable electronics.
“Conventional substrates are mainly film-based,” Dorsainvil said. “If you wear them on your skin long term, sweat accumulates underneath the film and doesn’t allow for breathability. We were looking to create a similar type of material, but have it be fibrous.”
Another discovery: The new material is more friendly to cell adhesion, suggesting potential for long-term biological and medical applications.
“We compared the fiber mats with and without PEG, and the fiber mats with PEG had exceptional cell adhesion and biocompatibility,” Dorsainvil said. “That’s really promising in terms of future studies about how that could be implemented.”
Serena Patel ’25 and Dana Manashirov ’25 worked on the project as undergraduates, and they are grateful they got the chance to do published research.
“I knew some people who were involved in Dr. Koh’s lab, so I reached out to her, and she put me on some of the master’s students’ projects,” Patel said. “I started shadowing another student at the end of my sophomore year, so that’s how I got involved.”
Dorsainvil enjoyed having them as research colleagues and mentoring them through frustrating moments, such as when the electrospinning machine wasn’t cooperating or they could not get the necessary circuitry printed onto the material.
“I treated them like PhD students, because that’s how hands-on they were,” he said. “Working with them was really a breeze. They’re very reliable. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
In November, Manashirov and Patel presented their work at the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) conference.
“Going to the conference was a wonderful opportunity where I got to engage with fellow researchers, and hearing their perspectives not only strengthened my work but also deepened my appreciation for the collaborative spirit of the field,” Manashirov said. “My poster on the fluidic applications of electrospun PDMS-PEG fibers details the fabrication and use of the fibers for a fluidic device, with the use of paraffin wax printing.”
Now that she’s earned her bachelor’s degree. Patel will continue her education at ßŮßÇÂţ» in the fall to pursue her master’s in biomedical engineering.
“Going somewhere else and doing a two-year program didn’t seem like something I wanted to do, especially because I’ve already been here and I have connections with professors,” she said. “It made sense to stay just one more year and continue what I’m doing already.”
Manashirov also will pursue a master’s degree through ßŮßÇÂţ»â€™s Executive Health Systems Manhattan program, offered by Watson College’s School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering. Dorsainvil is seeking a postdoctoral position at an academic institution or a role in industry.
Also contributing to the new research are PhD student Jafar Batayneh, Maya McDonald ’22, MS ’23 (now a biotech production specialist at Regeneron), Natalie Pachter, PhD ’24 (now a postdoctoral scholar at Case Western Reserve University) and Associate Professor Tracy Hookway.