The latest research from La Trobe University introduces a novel technique that uses hyaluronic acid, typically found in skincare products, to create a thin and durable film on a gold-plated surface. This innovative polymer is designed to enhance electrical conductivity in devices such as biosensors.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Wren Greene highlights the potential improvements in functionality, cost-effectiveness, and user experience that this technique could bring to touchscreen displays and wearable biosensors.
Dr. Greene explains, “Conductive polymers have been around for almost half a century, but they have faced challenges in fabrication, transparency, and consistency. With our ‘tethered dopant templating’ method, we have developed a reliable approach to producing a flexible and highly conductive polymer that rivals metals in performance and can be easily replicated on a large scale.”
These conductive polymers play a crucial role in various smart devices, from smartphones to medical tools used for monitoring and drug delivery.
The research, published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, challenges the conventional wisdom that conductive polymers require the addition of substances like hyaluronic acid to a mixture of water and polymer particles.
By directly applying hyaluronic acid to the gold surface, scientists were able to precisely control the material’s conductivity, shape, and visibility. The resulting 2D PEDOT material is invisible to the naked eye and significantly more potent than its counterparts, offering immense potential for future sensor-based devices.
Lead researcher Luiza Aguiar do Nascimento expresses excitement over the discovery of thinner, highly conductive polymers that are easy to reproduce. Dr. Saimon Moraes Silva, a senior researcher at La Trobe’s BEST Research Center, emphasizes the impact this innovation could have on health and medical devices, where consistent high-quality conductive materials are essential.
Dr. Moraes Silva adds, “Our new capabilities in producing scalable, affordable, and reproducible materials could revolutionize the field of health monitoring and drug delivery devices.”
More information:
Luiza A. Nascimento et al, A Scalable Synthetic Approach for Producing Homogeneous, Large Area 2D Highly Conductive Polymers, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5c06970
