While Implantable electronic Devices that monitor and treat a variety of diseases is **thing new, they all have the downside that a second procedure is required to remove them from the body. Dissolvable Electronics may one day overcome this, breaking down in a pre-programmed fashion and eliminated from the body along with the rest of the waste once their job is done.
Researchers at Iowa State have just reported in journal*Advanced Functional Materials on a new insulating polymer film that can be used as a platform for “transient” electronics. The material is made out of polyvinyl *******, a water soluble synthetic polymer, while adding gelatin or sucrose to the material respectively slows down or speeds up how fast the polymer dissolves.