Human devices, from light bulbs to iPods, send information using electrons. Human bodies and all other living things, on the other hand, send signals and perform work using ions or protons.
Materials scientists at the University of Washington have built a novel transistor that uses protons, creating a key piece for devices that can communicate directly with living things. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Devices that connect with the human body's processes are being explored for biological sensing or for prosthetics, but they typically communicate using electrons, which are negatively charged particles , rather than protons, which are positively charged hydrogen atoms, or ions, which are atoms with positive or negative charge.
"So there's always this issue, a challenge, at the interface - how does an electronic signal translate into an ionic signal, or vice versa?" said lead author Marco Rolandi. "We found a biomaterial that is very good at conducting protons, and allows the potential to interface with living systems."
In the body, protons activate "on" and "off" switches and are key players in biological energy transfer. Ions open and close channels in the cell membrane to pump things in and out of the cell. Animals including humans use ions to flex their muscles and transmit brain signals. A machine that was compatible with a living system in this way could, in the short term, monitor such processes. Someday it could generate proton currents to control certain functions directly
Materials scientists at the University of Washington have built a novel transistor that uses protons, creating a key piece for devices that can communicate directly with living things. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Devices that connect with the human body's processes are being explored for biological sensing or for prosthetics, but they typically communicate using electrons, which are negatively charged particles , rather than protons, which are positively charged hydrogen atoms, or ions, which are atoms with positive or negative charge.
"So there's always this issue, a challenge, at the interface - how does an electronic signal translate into an ionic signal, or vice versa?" said lead author Marco Rolandi. "We found a biomaterial that is very good at conducting protons, and allows the potential to interface with living systems."
In the body, protons activate "on" and "off" switches and are key players in biological energy transfer. Ions open and close channels in the cell membrane to pump things in and out of the cell. Animals including humans use ions to flex their muscles and transmit brain signals. A machine that was compatible with a living system in this way could, in the short term, monitor such processes. Someday it could generate proton currents to control certain functions directly
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