Electrochemically synchronized, self-indicating iontophoretic patch with fully eco-degradable and self-powered system

Iontophoretic transdermal patches enable controllable and noninvasive drug delivery but face a persistent trade-off among user-adaptive interaction, architectural simplicity, and sustainability. Simpler systems favor uniform operation, whereas feedback-enabled designs require additional electronics, increasing complexity, bulk, and environmental burden. Here, we present a self-powered, fully eco-degradable iontophoretic patch integrated with an electrochromic module, which electrochemically unifies drug delivery and user-facing indication within a single synchronized loop. Galvanic iontophoresis electrodes simultaneously drive iontophoretic transport with ionic current and actuate an on-patch electrochromic gauge with electrical current, converting cumulative charge-correlated dose into an electrochromic reaction propagation-based indication. This material–architecture co-design, based on thin, soft, and eco-degradable materials, enables compact and flexible patch-level implementation with system-level eco-degradability after use. Ex vivo porcine skin studies show a linear correlation between electrochromic propagation distance and delivered dose, and a psoriasis mouse model confirms therapeutic delivery with skin-compatible operation.

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Publication Details

Journal
npj Flexible Electronics
Published
2026-03-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-026-00562-4
Primary Topic
Advancements in Transdermal Drug Delivery
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Electrochemically synchronized, self-indicating iontophoretic patch with fully eco-degradable and self-powered system

Joo-Hyeon Park, Se-Hun Kang, Sang-Wook Kang, Geonjin Shin et al.
npj Flexible Electronics
Advancements in Transdermal Drug Delivery
article

Electrochemically synchronized, self-indicating iontophoretic patch with fully eco-degradable and self-powered system

Joo-Hyeon Park, Se-Hun Kang, Sang-Wook Kang, Geonjin Shin, S. W. Lee, A‐Young Kim, Hyojin Lee, Sung-Geun Choi, Yu-Lim Lee, Sung-Woo Kim
article en

Abstract

Iontophoretic transdermal patches enable controllable and noninvasive drug delivery but face a persistent trade-off among user-adaptive interaction, architectural simplicity, and sustainability. Simpler systems favor uniform operation, whereas feedback-enabled designs require additional electronics, increasing complexity, bulk, and environmental burden. Here, we present a self-powered, fully eco-degradable iontophoretic patch integrated with an electrochromic module, which electrochemically unifies drug delivery and user-facing indication within a single synchronized loop. Galvanic iontophoresis electrodes simultaneously drive iontophoretic transport with ionic current and actuate an on-patch electrochromic gauge with electrical current, converting cumulative charge-correlated dose into an electrochromic reaction propagation-based indication. This material–architecture co-design, based on thin, soft, and eco-degradable materials, enables compact and flexible patch-level implementation with system-level eco-degradability after use. Ex vivo porcine skin studies show a linear correlation between electrochromic propagation distance and delivered dose, and a psoriasis mouse model confirms therapeutic delivery with skin-compatible operation.

npj Flexible Electronics
Seoul National University (KR), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KR), Sungkyunkwan University (KR), Korea University of Science and Technology (KR)
National Research Foundation, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, National Research Foundation of Korea, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea
Life in Land, Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 18%
Advancements in Transdermal Drug Delivery
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