Bang Chang-hyeon, a Professor of the School of Chemical Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), was nominated for Scientist of the Month Award in April.
The award is granted by the Ministry of Science and Information Communication Technologies (MSIT) and is given to a person who makes a significant contribution to the development of science and technology through outstanding research and achievement. Professor Bang invented a patch with high adsorptive power which can be applied to various surfaces. He discovered that octopus suction cups are highly adhesive even in water. He applied the fact to make an adhesive electronic patch which can be attached and detached in various environments, including glass in water, silicone oil, and moist skin, without leaving any marks on surfaces. This inventive patch also maintained its efficiency even after more than 10,000 tests of the detachable experiment. The original adhesive, which was produced chemically, failed to perform well on wet surfaces, and left glue marks where it was detached. Therefore, it is inefficient in medical usage that requires high cleanliness. The patch, invented by Professor Bang, however, can be used on both dry and wet surfaces. In addition, it can also be attached to curved-skin surfaces, which is expected to be applied to patches that are attached to the body to gather the information of users such as patients. As the necessity of clean adhesive materials has increased for the development of the medical material industry, it would also be helpful for various fields, such as the wound care patch, adhesion technology for sutures, and high-efficiency treatment patches combined with cellular engineering. Professor Bang expects the patch will be commercialized within three to five years through several collaborations with various areas. The discovery was covered by Nature, in June 2017.