Researchers at Tufts University have introduced silk as a disruptive new material platform across multiple micro- and nano-scale technologies by combining the unique features of the silk protein family with optics and photonics. This merging of biology and optical physics creates sophisticated, multi-functional, silk-based optical sensing systems with target focus areas in environmental detection, renewable energy, and the life sciences. The silk sensor technology platform enables the detection and monitoring of a variety of contaminants through its versatile chemistry and processing and will directly embed an advanced optical interface offering immediate and easy read out. These systems are biocompatible, disposable, degradable, consumable, and distributable. The distinctive properties offered by silk materials will be at the core of the development of innovative products that address unmet needs across several market areas.
Intellectual Property
US Patents 8,529,835, Issued September 10, 2013; 9,802,374, Issued October 31, 2017