Researchers from Queen Mary's School of Engineering and Materials Science, led by Dr Dimitrios Papageorgiou, have developed edible, recyclable, and biodegradable sensor films capable of high-precision monitoring for health and environmental applications. The work, published in Advanced Science, introduces a new class of eco-friendly, food-safe electronics based on gelatin and activated charcoal.

The free-standing composite films exhibit a unique bilayer structure: a conductive charcoal-rich layer and an insulating gelatin top layer. At an optimal composition, the films deliver a tensile strength of 60 MPa and electrical conductivity of 0.04 S/m. These films enable simultaneous detection of strain, humidity, and temperature, making the technology suitable for applications such as motion tracking, respiration monitoring, speech recognition, and non-contact temperature sensing.

Importantly, the sensors are safe to ingest, degrade fully in soil within three weeks, and can be recycled in water without performance loss. The manufacturing process is entirely water-based, scalable, and compatible with conventional processing techniques.

This research offers a pathway to next-generation circular electronics, addressing global challenges associated with electronic waste, environmental degradation, and single-use diagnostic technologies.

Congratulations to Dr Ming Dong (first author), and the international collaboration team that includes Imperial College London, University of Warwick, Dublin City University, and the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia.