VTT is constantly developing new materials for healthcare use, especially for the production of wearable sensors and patches. The latest innovation is a fossil-free, recyclable ECG patch made of nanocellulose and carbon. The fully recyclable electrocardiogram device, or ECG patch, consists of carbon wires and sensor electrodes printed on the surface of a nanocellulose substrate. The device is modular, and its electronic components are easy to remove and reuse. The biodegradable patch is made of VTT's new nanocellulose-based e-skin-x.
In addition to the ECG patch, the new membrane also has potential in a variety of wearable devices, the use of which is increasing as consumers adopt various devices and applications that measure vital signs and well-being.
“The environmental footprint of the healthcare sector is large, and regulations are increasingly directing manufacturers towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly products,” says a researcher at VTT. Vinay Kumar says.
“Bio-based materials, such as cellulose e-skin, are promising alternatives to fossil-based substrates. The challenge is that they must have certain properties, such as stretchability, tear strength and moisture sensitivity. With cellulose e-skin, we have created a new membrane that has enormous potential for use in the pharmaceutical industry.”
Kumar admits that replacing plastics with bio-based alternatives is not easy.
“However, our long-term goal is to achieve sustainable growth with bio-based material solutions. New materials bring good properties such as biodegradability and recyclability, but they currently do not meet all performance criteria. We are constantly striving to improve material performance to meet the high standards of medical products.”
VTT is currently looking for partners for the industrial production of greener and more sustainable wearable sensors and patches.
“Our current development work focuses on utilizing biomass in various electronics applications and beyond. The bottleneck in the adoption of many new bio-based materials and application technologies is scalable processing. Our unique piloting infrastructure combined with our expertise in bio-based materials technologies enables us to overcome this bottleneck efficiently and sustainably,” says Vinay Kumar.
Afternoon tea
The nanocellulose-based ECG patch developed by VTT is the first such product that does not contain plastic as an additive. The e-skin made of cellulose can be used in a variety of wearable devices in the future. The film is strong, flexible, transparent, breathable and has good printability. Other possible applications could include printed energy storage and harvesting devices.
Read more VTT's wearables products development work.
