Technology Developed to Make Memory Devices with Chitosan from Crab Shells

A Korean research team has successfully developed a technology to produce memory devices using chitosan extracted from crab shells. This technique is expected to be usable when making memory devices for eco-friendly and bio-friendly electronic equipment in the future.

​Lee Jang-sik, professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), announced on Jan. 12 that his research team has succeeded in developing bio-friendly memory devices based on chitosan extracted from the shell of crustaceans like crabs or shrimp.

The newly-developed chitosan-based device can satisfy the product performance necessary for memory devices in terms of durability and the ability to store information. In particular, the device uses by-products of seafood, and thus it is not expensive to manufacture.

Most of all, the new memory device is likely to be utilized in many areas, since it can be attached to or inserted in the skin, unlike existing silicon devices. Therefore, it could be used in the medical engineering area to make next-generation capsule-type endoscopes, artificial muscles, artificial organs, and patch-type electronic devices.

Professor Lee explained, “We started our research with the aim of making safe and eco-friendly memory devices.” He added, “I think that our team could manufacture chitosan-based devices on the surface of the flexible substrate.”

The research findings were first published online on Dec. 5 by Advanced Materials, a weekly scientific journal published by Wiley-VCH.