Executive Summary : | Flexible electronics have gained popularity in recent years to overcome the rigidity of traditional silicon materials. These devices are prepared by combining semiconducting or conducting organic/inorganic materials with textile and polymer substrates. Polymeric substrates like polytetrafluoroethylene, polydimethylsiloxane, polyimide, fluorinated ethylene propylene, and silicone rubber offer long-term repeatable bendability and/or stretchability under working conditions. Biocompatible and biodegradable polymers like silk fibroin, collagen, polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose, and carbohydrates have shown promise in healthcare electronic devices. Bombyx mori-derived silk fibroin has been particularly praised for its diverse functional properties, superior mechanical toughness, ease of processability, and programmed biodegradability. Regenerated silk fibroin films are highly insulating with electrical conductivity in the 10-9 to 10-15 S/cm range. Regenerated silk fibroin can be improved to semiconducting range by blending it with conducting polymers or forming nanocomposites with conductive nanostructure materials. Metal oxide nanoparticles, such as tungsten oxide and indium oxide, have outstanding electrical, magnetic, thermal, and optical properties. This project aims to fabricate regenerate silk fibroin/metal oxides nanocomposite films and hydrogels using different concentrations of metal oxides based on electrical conductivity and mechanical properties. The optimized nanocomposite films and hydrogel will be used to design strain and pressure sensor devices, which will be tested for sensitivity and real-time monitoring. |