Stanford researchers have developed a simple-to-make, electrically conductive gel that is similar in appearance to biological tissue, but can conduct electricity like a semiconductor. Researchers made the hydrogel using aniline and phytic acid, which form a porous, sponge-like structure. The pores expand the gel’s surface area, which increases both the amount of charge it can hold and its electrical response. Phytic acid acts like a dopant in the material, making it highly conductive. The material can be sprayed in liquid form onto a surface because it does not form into a gel until it is in place. This, says researchers, means that intricately patterned electrodes could be affordably made. Devices made with the material could include medical probes, laboratory biological sensors, biofuel cells, and high-energy density capacitors. The findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Science Daily)(Gizmag)(Stanford University)(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
