A research group led by Professor Matsuhiko Nishizawa at Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University developed a technology to print electrical circuits using conducting polymers on the surface of soft jelly containing a large amount of water (hydrogel) such as agar and collagen.  Conducting polymers and gels are able to be used for cell culture and be inserted into bodies due to their significant safeness and permeability of culture solution or agents.  In addition, these polymers can be pasted on a rough surface and are flexible according to the motion of cells and tissues without causing damage. 

 The research was conducted as a pert of Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST) by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and some achievements were published online in Journal of The American Chemical Society, a U.S. chemistry journal, on September 9, 2010.  The paper’s title is “Conducting Polymer Electrodes Printed on Hydrogel.”
 
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[Contact]
Professor Matsuhiko Nishizawa
Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Address: 6-6-01 Aoba Aramaki Aoba-ku Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8579, Japan
TEL/FAX: +81-22-795-7003
E-mail: nishizawa*biomems.mech.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)