Abstract
Edible electronics aims to deliver safe-to-eat devices for gastrointestinal tract monitoring constituted by food-derived materials and therefore can be metabolised by the human body. However, identifying materials and processing methods for edible sensors and electronics remains an open challenge. Here we present an edible multifunctional composite coating produced by spray-coating an ink formulation of activated carbon (conductor) and commercial gelatin-based candy (binder) in a water-ethanol dispersant. The coating exhibits advantageous electronic properties, including conductivity (50 Ω.cm resistivity), piezoresistivity, stretchability and temperature sensitivity. To demonstrate its versatility, the same composite formulation is used to deliver functional properties to a range of relevant electronic components, namely gating material for field-effect transistors, and strain, pressure, and temperature sensors. © 2024 IEEE.