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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Bridging the Bio-Electronic Interface with Biofabrication
Published on: June 6, 2012
Protein-Based Bioelectronics
Maria Torculas1, Jethro Medina2, Wei Xue3
1Departments of Physics and Astronomy, ‡Electrical and Computer Engineering, ∇Mechanical Engineering, §Chemical Engineering, ∥Biomedical and Translational Sciences, and ⊥Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States.
Abstract:
The desire for flexible electronics is booming, and development of bioelectronics for health monitoring, internal body procedures, and other biomedical applications is heavily responsible for the growing market. Most current fabrication techniques for flexible bioelectronics, however, do not use materials that optimize both biocompatibility and mechanical properties. This Review explores flexible electronic technologies, fabrication methods, and protein materials for biomedical applications. With favorable sustainability and biocompatibility, naturally derived proteins are an exceptional alternative to synthetic materials currently used. Many proteins can take on various forms, such as fibers, films, and scaffolds. The fabrication of resistors and organic solar cells on silk has already been proven, and optoelectronics made of collagen and keratin have also been explored. The flexibility and biocompatibility of these materials along with their proven performance in electronics make them ideal materials in the advancement of biomedical devices.

