journal article·2025-08-25Open access

Aesthetic, wire-free and bioresorbable dermal tattoo TENG system for self-powered on-the-go biomedical applications

Reyhaneh Shakibi, Fatemeh Yazdipour, Nazanin Imandoost, Taraneh Bajooli, Ali Akbar Moosavi-Movahhedi, Mohammad Ali Khayamian

npj Flexible Electronics· Volume 9· Issue 1

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are promising for self-powered biomedical applications such as wound healing, cancer therapy, and biosensing. However, their dependence on external wires and electrodes limits usability and comfort. Here, we introduce a wire-free approach using dermal conductive tattoos. Unlike conventional systems requiring a back conductor, our method uses skin as the triboelectric layer, with charge transferred via subdermal conductive tattoos—eliminating external accessories. This concept was validated through triboelectric testing of skin, tattoo performance on artificial models, bioresorbable ink development, and in vivo voltage generation. The system successfully accelerated wound healing in freely walking animals, powered solely by body motion. The use of bioresorbable zinc-based inks enabled temporary functionality that disappeared naturally with the healing process. Furthermore, the tattooed electrodes can be seamlessly merged with artistic designs, paving the way for next-generation bioelectronic tattoos that are both therapeutic and aesthetically personalized.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts · Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

References (53)

Show source-provided references
1. Zheng, Q. et al. Recent progress on piezoelectric and triboelectric energy harvesters in biomedical systems. Adv. Sci. 4, 1700029 (2017).10.1002/advs.201700029 ↗
2. Jiang, D. et al. Advances in triboelectric nanogenerator technology—applications in self-powered sensors, Internet of things, biomedicine, and blue energy. Adv. Compos. Hybrid. Mater. 6, 57 (2023).10.1007/s42114-023-00632-5 ↗
3. Dassanayaka, D. G. et al. Recent progresses in wearable triboelectric nanogenerators. Adv. Funct. Mater. 32, 2205438 (2022).10.1002/adfm.202205438 ↗
4. Wang, Y. et al. Recent advances in stretchable triboelectric nanogenerators for use in wearable bioelectronic devices. Bio-Des. Manuf. 7, 566–590 (2024).10.1007/s42242-024-00284-4 ↗
5. Divya, S. et al. A review on the next generation of healing: exploring the use of triboelectric nanogenerators in wound care. Chem. Phys. Lett. 826, 140648 (2023).10.1016/j.cplett.2023.140648 ↗
6. Shakibi, R. et al. Enhancing cell activities through integration of polyanionic alginate or hyaluronic acid derivatives with triboelectric nanogenerators. Carbohydr. Polym. 346, 122629 (2024).10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122629 ↗
7. Abadijoo, H. et al. Charged for destruction: Advancing cancer treatment with triboelectric nanogenerators – State of the art and prospects. Nano Energy 120, 109157 (2024).10.1016/j.nanoen.2023.109157 ↗
8. Khayamian, M. A. et al. Irreversible electroporation for post-operative margin therapy to prevent cancer recurrence based on triboelectric nanogenerator driven balloon catheter. Nano Energy 112, 108510 (2023).10.1016/j.nanoen.2023.108510 ↗
9. Ghaderinia, M. et al. Capture-free deactivation of CTCs in the bloodstream; a metastasis suppression method by electrostatic stimulation of the peripheral blood. Biosens. Bioelectron. 183, 113194 (2021).10.1016/j.bios.2021.113194 ↗
10. Liu, Z. et al. Wearable and implantable triboelectric nanogenerators. Adv. Funct. Mater. 29, 1808820 (2019).10.1002/adfm.201808820 ↗
11. Lee, D.-M. et al. Self-Powered Medical Implants Using Triboelectric Technology. Acc. Mater. Res. 5, 533–543 (2024).10.1021/accountsmr.3c00261 ↗
12. Khandelwal, G., Maria, N. P., Raj, J. oseph & Kim, S.-J. Triboelectric nanogenerator for healthcare and biomedical applications. Nano Today 33, 100882 (2020).10.1016/j.nantod.2020.100882 ↗
13. Wang, S.-J. et al. Development and applications of hydrogel-based triboelectric nanogenerators: a mini-review. Polymers 14, 1452 (2022).10.3390/polym14071452 ↗
14. Chen, T. et al. Triboelectric self-powered wearable flexible patch as 3D motion control interface for robotic manipulator. ACS Nano 12, 11561–11571 (2018).10.1021/acsnano.8b06747 ↗
15. Miao, J. & Fan, T. Flexible and stretchable transparent conductive graphene-based electrodes for emerging wearable electronics. Carbon 202, 495–527 (2023).10.1016/j.carbon.2022.11.018 ↗
16. Jang, H. et al. Graphene e-tattoos for unobstructive ambulatory electrodermal activity sensing on the palm enabled by heterogeneous serpentine ribbons. Nat. Commun. 13, 6604 (2022).10.1038/s41467-022-34406-2 ↗
17. Zhuo, S. et al. Reusable free-standing hydrogel electronic tattoo sensors with superior performance. npj Flex. Electron. 8, 49 (2024).10.1038/s41528-024-00335-x ↗
18. Li, X. Hui, H. & Sun, Y. Investigation of motion artifacts for biopotential measurement in wearable devices. in 2016 IEEE 13th International Conference on Wearable and Implantable Body Sensor Networks (BSN). 2016. IEEE.10.1109/BSN.2016.7516263 ↗
19. Wang, Y. et al. Low-cost, μm-thick, tape-free electronic tattoo sensors with minimized motion and sweat artifacts. npj Flex. Electron. 2, 6 (2018).10.1038/s41528-017-0019-4 ↗
20. Ershad, F. et al. Ultra-conformal drawn-on-skin electronics for multifunctional motion artifact-free sensing and point-of-care treatment. Nat. Commun. 11, 3823 (2020).10.1038/s41467-020-17619-1 ↗
21. Li, H. et al. E-tattoos: toward functional but imperceptible interfacing with human skin. Chem. Rev. 124, 3220–3283 (2024).10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00626 ↗
22. Bandodkar, A. J., Jia, W. & Wang, J. Tattoo-based wearable electrochemical devices: a review. Electroanalysis 27, 562–572 (2015).10.1002/elan.201400537 ↗
23. Wei, B. et al. Ultraflexible tattoo electrodes for epidermal and in vivo electrophysiological recording. Cell Reports Physical Science, 4 2023.10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101335 ↗
24. Li, D. et al. Recent progress of skin-integrated electronics for intelligent sensing. Light.: Adv. Manuf. 2, 39–58 (2021).
25. Yetisen, A. K. et al. Dermal tattoo biosensors for colorimetric metabolite detection. Angew. Chem. 131, 10616–10623 (2019).10.1002/ange.201904416 ↗
26. Gogurla, N. & Kim, S. Self-powered and imperceptible electronic tattoos based on silk protein nanofiber and carbon nanotubes for human–machine interfaces. Adv. Energy Mater. 11, 2100801 (2021).10.1002/aenm.202100801 ↗
27. Wong, T. H. et al. Triboelectric nanogenerator tattoos enabled by epidermal electronic technologies. Adv. Funct. Mater. 32, 2111269 (2022).10.1002/adfm.202111269 ↗
28. Yao, K. et al. Mechanics designs-performance relationships in epidermal triboelectric nanogenerators. Nano Energy 76, 105017 (2020).10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.105017 ↗
29. Joshi, S. R. et al. Ultrathin, Breathable, Permeable, and Skin-Adhesive Charge Storage Electronic Tattoos Based on Biopolymer Nanofibers and Carbon Nanotubes. Adv. Electron. Mater. 9, 2201095 (2023).10.1002/aelm.202201095 ↗
30. Joshi, S. R. et al. Self-powered, multifunctional, and skin-compatible electronic-tattoos based on hybrid bio-nanomaterials as electrically functionalized skins. Chem. Eng. J. 496, 154160 (2024).10.1016/j.cej.2024.154160 ↗
31. Zhang, Y. et al. Advances in bioresorbable materials and electronics. Chem. Rev. 123, 11722–11773 (2023).10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00408 ↗
32. Ryu, H., Seo, M. H. & Rogers, J. A. Bioresorbable metals for biomedical applications: from mechanical components to electronic devices. Adv. Healthc. Mater. 10, 2002236 (2021).10.1002/adhm.202002236 ↗
33. Elias, P. M. The skin barrier as an innate immune element. Semin. Immunopathol. 29, 3–14 (2007).10.1007/s00281-007-0060-9 ↗
34. Zou, H. et al. Quantifying the triboelectric series. Nat. Commun. 10, 1427 (2019).10.1038/s41467-019-09461-x ↗
35. Wang, Z. L. & Wang, A. C. On the origin of contact-electrification. Mater. Today 30, 34–51 (2019).10.1016/j.mattod.2019.05.016 ↗
36. Bakhtiyari, S. et al. Yarn-to-yarn surface area and roughness as structural engineering tools for optimizing the electrical output of triboelectric nanogenerators: geometrical and experimental verification. Adv. Mater. Technol. 10, 2401346 (2025).10.1002/admt.202401346 ↗
37. Blank, I. H. Factors which influence the water content of the stratum corneum. J. Investigative Dermatol. 18, 433–440 (1952).10.1038/jid.1952.52 ↗
38. Lozhkomoev, A. S. et al. Preparation and properties of iron nanoparticle-based macroporous scaffolds for biodegradable implants. Materials 15, 4900 (2022).10.3390/ma15144900 ↗
39. Chen, W. et al. Recent advances of Fe (III)/Fe (II)-MPNs in biomedical applications. Pharmaceutics 15, 1323 (2023).10.3390/pharmaceutics15051323 ↗
40. Zhang, C. et al. Transparent, flexible, and conductive 2d titanium carbide (MXene) films with high volumetric capacitance. Adv. Mater. 29, 1702678 (2017).10.1002/adma.201702678 ↗
41. Qiao, C. et al. Electrical conductivity enhancement and electronic applications of 2D Ti3C2Tx MXene materials. Adv. Mater. Interfaces 8, 2100903 (2021).10.1002/admi.202100903 ↗
42. Fontana-Escartín, A. et al. Aqueous alginate/MXene inks for 3D printable biomedical devices. Colloids Surf. A: Physicochem. Eng. Asp. 671, 131632 (2023).10.1016/j.colsurfa.2023.131632 ↗
43. Solangi, N. H. et al. Recent trends in MXene-based material for biomedical applications. Environ. Res. 222, 115337 (2023).10.1016/j.envres.2023.115337 ↗
44. Naguib, M., Barsoum, M. W. & Gogotsi, Y. Ten years of progress in the synthesis and development of MXenes. Adv. Mater. 33, 2103393 (2021).10.1002/adma.202103393 ↗
45. Huang, W.-X. et al. Ti3C2 MXene: recent progress in its fundamentals, synthesis, and applications. Rare Met. 41, 3268–3300 (2022).10.1007/s12598-022-02058-2 ↗
46. Li, J. et al. Processing techniques for bioresorbable nanoparticles in fabricating flexible conductive interconnects. Materials 11, 1102 (2018).10.3390/ma11071102 ↗
47. Zareei, A. et al. A biodegradable hybrid micro/nano conductive zinc paste for paper-based flexible bioelectronics. Adv. Mater. Technol. 7, 2101722 (2022).10.1002/admt.202101722 ↗
48. Mahajan, B. K. et al. Mechanically milled irregular zinc nanoparticles for printable bioresorbable electronics. Small 13, 1700065 (2017).10.1002/smll.201700065 ↗
49. Zargari, S. et al. Effect of the inherent capacitance optimization on the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerators. Nano Energy 92, 106740 (2022).10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.106740 ↗
50. Dani, C. et al. Effect of moisture content on the triboelectric charging of polymers. in Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 2024. IOP Publishing.10.1088/1742-6596/2702/1/012025 ↗
51. Rawat, P. et al. Structural and mechanical properties of fish scales for the bio-inspired design of flexible body armors: A review. Acta Biomaterialia 121, 41–67 (2021).10.1016/j.actbio.2020.12.003 ↗
52. Mares, J. M. C. et al. The use of fish-skin as a product for leather manufacturing is an under-developed business opportunity in Mexico. 2014. p. 1-32.
53. Kilík, R. et al. Effect of Equal Daily Doses Achieved by Different Power Densities of Low-Level Laser Therapy at 635 nm on Open Skin Wound Healing in Normal and Diabetic Rats. BioMed Research International, 2014. 2014 (1): p. 269253.10.1155/2014/269253 ↗