Subdermal Flexible Solar Cell Arrays for Powering Medical Electronic Implants

Kwangsun Song; Jung Hyun Han; Taehoon Lim; Namyun Kim; Sungho Shin; Juho Kim; Hyuck Choo; Sungho Jeong; Yong-Chul Kim; Zhong Lin Wang; Jongho Lee

doi:10.1002/adhm.201600222

Subdermal Flexible Solar Cell Arrays for Powering Medical Electronic Implants

Adv Healthc Mater. 2016 Jul;5(13):1572-80. doi: 10.1002/adhm.201600222. Epub 2016 May 3.

Authors

Kwangsun Song^{1

2}, Jung Hyun Han³, Taehoon Lim¹, Namyun Kim¹, Sungho Shin¹, Juho Kim^{1

2}, Hyuck Choo^{4

5}, Sungho Jeong¹, Yong-Chul Kim^{3

6}, Zhong Lin Wang⁷, Jongho Lee^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Mechanical Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 500-712, South Korea.
² Research Institute for Solar and Sustainable Energies, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 500-712, South Korea.
³ Department of Medical System Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 500-712, South Korea.
⁴ Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
⁵ Department of Medical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
⁶ School of Life Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 500-712, South Korea.
⁷ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.

PMID: 27139339
DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201600222

Abstract

A subdermally implantable flexible photovoltatic (IPV) device is proposed for supplying sustainable electric power to in vivo medical implants. Electric properties of the implanted IPV device are characterized in live animal models. Feasibility of this strategy is demonstrated by operating a flexible pacemaker with the subdermal IPV device which generates DC electric power of ≈647 μW under the skin.

Keywords: bioelectronics; energy; flexible pacemaker; medical implants; solar cell.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Humans
Implants, Experimental*
Pacemaker, Artificial*
Skin*
Solar Energy*