Transmission
of energy and signals through human skin is critically
important for implantable devices. Because near-infrared (NIR) light
can easily penetrate through human skin/tissue, in this study we report
on silk fibroin (SF) up-conversion photonic amplifiers (SFUCPAs) integrated
into optoelectronic devices, which provide a practical approach for
subcutaneous charging and communication via NIR lasers.
SFUCPAs achieve a 4 times higher fluorescence than the control, which
gives rise to a 47.3 time increase in subcutaneous NIR energy conversion
efficiency of a single fibrous dye-sensitized solar cell compared
with the control. Moreover, the hybrid printed electrodes exhibited
reversible switching to NIR exposure with a response time of ∼1.06/1.63
s for a 3 s ON/OFF switch. Owing to the flexible, biocompatible, and
cost-efficient design NIR-driven optoelectronic performance, the SFUCPAs
are promising for use in applications of subcutaneous medical electronics
for charging, storing information, and controlling implanted devices.
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