The Register®  Original URL:  Pigment powered gadgets
Queensland Uni trailblazers in melanin infused electronics  By
Natalie Apostolou  Posted in Science, 29th June 2012 03:32 GMT
The natural pigment, melanin, which endows humans and animals
eye, skin and hair colour is set to be the driving force behind
a new generation of bio-powered gadgets.  A research team from
the University of Queensland led by Professor Paul Meredith and
Associate Professor Ben Powell and incorporating an
international team of scientists has published a study on the
electrical properties of melanin and its biologically compatible
“bioelectronic” features.  That biological compatibility means
the first applications for melanin-based electronics would be on
products for human implants.  Professor Meredith describes the
pigment as like an organic semiconductor, composed of molecules
containing carbon, hydrogen and other elements.   The study,
which has been evolving for ten years, reveals that in
semiconductors, such as those found in