Semiconductor Nanomembranes for Organ-on-Chips, Wearables, and Implantable Applications

#Nanomembranes #Organ-on-Chips #Wearables #Implantable-Applications #semiconductors
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Inorganic semiconductors are the key building block for most industrial integrated circuits, from computing processors to laser modules and power converters. Engineering these materials into free-standing nanomembrane architecture enables flexibility and stretchability, opening new avenues for biosensing and biomedical applications that demand mechanical compliance with soft tissues.

This talk highlights our recent efforts to engineer nanomembrane semiconductors, including silicon and silicon carbide, for three classes of biomedical systems: organ-on-chip (for disease modeling and drug screening), wearable (for on-skin monitoring/diagnosis), and implantable devices (for invasive interventions), Figure 1. In the first example, we harness the multiphysics coupling of liquid surface tension and gas compression in nanoscale silicon cantilevers to create biomechanical well plate (BWP) arrays for autonomous, longitudinal monitoring of organoid and engineered heart tissue contractions. In the second, we integrate silicon cantilever chips with wireless, flexible circuitry to realize a miniaturized auscultation patch (AusculPatch) – recently patented technology for home-based health monitoring. This platform captures vital body sounds including respiration, pulse waves, heart sounds, and vocal cord vibrations, supporting the diagnosis of conditions such as valvular disease and sleep apnea. In the third, we advance transfer printing techniques for wide bandgap semiconductor membranes (e.g., SiC), enabling long-term implantable electronics such as robust biobarriers, stimulation electrodes, and strain sensors.

Together, these technologies establish a toolkit of semiconductor-based platforms that accelerate the transition away from animal models, enable telehealth solutions, and support chronic disease management.

Figure 1. Examples of engineered nanomembrane technologies from the Intelligent Microsystem Lab – UNSW. (A) A wireless organ-on-chip platform for cardiac organoids. (B) A flexible wearable acoustic patch. (C) Implanted electrodes arrays using silicon carbide.

 

References:

  1. T.B. Dang, C.C. Nguyen,* S.Y. Heo, T.V. Nguyen, N. Tong, M.G. Ruppert, T.A. Truong, M. Listyawan, J. Davies, S. Zhao, Q.-A. Nguyen, N.M. Doan, A. Sunjaya, T. Barber, N.H. Lovell, T.N. Do, H.-P. Phan,* Wearable, Broadband Auscultation Patch with Cantilever Pressure Transducer for Remote Healthcare Monitoring , Nature Communications, 2026, In press
  2. T.-A. Truong, X. Huang, A. Ashok, A.A. Abed, R. Almasri, M. N. Shivdasani, M. T. Thai, C. C. Nguyen, X. Zhang, Z. Gu, S. Peng, T. K. Nguyen, T. N. Do, N.-T. Nguyen, H. Zhao, H.-P. Phan,* ACS Nano, 19, 1, 1642–1659, 2025.
  3. T.-K. Nguyen, M. Barton, A. Ashok, T.-A. Truong, S. Yadav, M. Leitch, T.-V. Nguyen, N. Kashaninejad, T. Dinh, L. Hold, Y. Yamauchi, N.-T. Nguyen, H.-P. Phan,* Wide bandgap semiconductor nanomembranes as a long-term bio-interface for flexible, implanted neuromodulator, PNAS, 119(33), e2203287119, 2022.
  4. V.-T. Nguyen, T. Dinh, A.R. Md Foisal, H.-P. Phan, T.-K. Nguyen, N.-T. Nguyen, and V.D. Dao, Nature Communications, 10, 4139, 2019.
  5. H.-P. Phan,* Y. Zhong, T.-K. Nguyen, Y. Park, T. Dinh, E. Song, R.K. Vadivelu, M. K. Masud, J. Li, M.J.A. Shiddiky, D.V. Dao, Y. Yamauchi, J. A. Rogers,* and N.-T. Nguyen,* ACS Nano, 13, 10, 11572-11581, 2019.
  6. T.-A. Truong, T.-K. Nguyen, X. Huang, A. Ashok, S. Yadav, Y. Park, M.T. Thai, N.-K. Nguyen, H. Fallahi, S. Peng, S. Dimitrijev, Y.-C. Toh, Y. Yamauchi, C.H. Wang, N.H. Lovell, J.A. Rogers, T.N. Do, N.-T. Nguyen, H. Zhao, H.-P. Phan,* Advanced Functional Materials, 33, 2211781, 2023.
  7. Q.A. Nguyen, C.C. Nguyen*, T.B. Dang, P.T. Phan, J. Thorpe, M. Listyawan, N.M. Doan, S. Z hao, H. Chen, T. T. Hoang, M. Xu, J. Han, T.N. Do, A. Hill, T. Mouterde*, H.-P. Phan*, Transfer printing and reconfiguration of soft electronics using digital microfluidics and laser machining, Advanced Functional Materials, 2026. In press
  8. C.C. Nguyen, J. Thorpe, T.B. Dang, A. Zahabi, Q.A. Nguyen, S. Zhao, N.M. Doan, M.A. Listyawan, H. Chen, T.V. Nguyen, S. Farajikhah, A.-N. Cho, N.H. Lovell, T.N. Do, T. Mouterde,* A. Hill,* H.-P. Phan,* Wireless, and Contactless Biomechanic Well Plate for Monitoring Cardiac Organoid and 3D-Tissue Contraction, Nature Sensors, 2026. In press

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  • University of Western Australia
  • Fairway, Carpark 15, 3rd Floor
  • Crawley, Western Australia
  • Australia 6009
  • Building: Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering Building (226)
  • Room Number: Billings Room (303)
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Hoang-Phuong Phan

Biography:

Hoang-Phuong Phan is a Scientia Associate Professor and an ARC Future Fellow at the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, UNSW Sydney. He received his B.E. and M.E. degrees from The University of Tokyo, Japan (2011, 2013), and his Ph.D. from Griffith University, Australia (2016). Phan is currently the Head of the Intelligent Microsystem Laboratory, focusing on MEMS/NEMS, integrated sensors, flexible electronics, and three-dimensional micro-architectures. Prof. Phan has held visiting postdoc appointments at XLAB, Stanford University in 2017 (USA), and the John Rogers Research Group, Northwestern University in 2019 (USA). He has authored over 160 journal papers in leading journals including Nature Sensors, Nature Communications, Science Advances, PNAS, Science Robotics, ACS Nano, Advanced Functional Materials, and Angewandte Chemie, along with 4 patents and 5 book chapters. Phan has received several awards such as Springer Outstanding Thesis Award, the ARC DECRA Fellowship, Griffith Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence in Research Award, UNSW GROW Award, the ARC Future Fellowship, and the Scientia Fellowship.