Materials for Health and Biomedicine

Semiconductor microelectronics showed huge advancements in 1970s, with the discovery of silica as the electronic material. Researchers like John Greenwood worked on silicon and glass for their application in micro fabrication or MEMS.  New classes of silicon and glass devices, including pressure sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes were invented which were quickly adopted by the automotive industry, as well as the emergence of micro-valves, micro-pumps and gas/bio sensors, applicable in life science and other industrial applications. MEMS were utilized by HP, Canon and Epson companies to produce inkjet printers. Motorola and Bosch made MEMS Sensors and it followed with many other companies investing several dollars on MEMS for their products.

                       

Though the MEMS market increased; the quality, production, size, volume, flexibility, competition and several other factors bought forward the replacement of silicon and glass with polymers. Polymers showed advantages like greater mechanical strain and less brittleness than silicon. Their thermal properties, biocompatibility and low cost also favoured them.

Though Silicon and glass are unlikely to become extinct they could soon be replaced by polymer alternatives in many applications.  New classes of liquid and dry film polymers are being developed by mixing with conductive, shape memory, photosensitive, piezoelectric, plastic magnet, electroactive, OSTE and polypyrrole elements. 

Such polymers or smart materials are opening opportunities in the biomedical engineering, stem cell therapy and life science fields particularly,  for example the lab on chip application, biomaterials, dental implants, artificial muscle actuators, invasive robotic microsurgery, actuators to stimulate tissue and bone growth, bio-sensors and µTAS systems.

The journey of polymers from silicon is surely interesting. If you wish to recite such journeys of any smart materials or gain insights on them then join us at Smart Materials Meet 2018 at Dubai as a speaker or a delegate.