Japanese research team develops nanometers-thick surgical band-aid from chitosan

Posted On: July 8, 2009

A team of university researchers has developed the world’s thinnest band-aid — an adhesive bandage one thousand times thinner than plastic wrap, designed for surgical use.

The joint research team involving Waseda University, the National Defense Medical College and other institutions, have dubbed it the “Nano Bansoko” (nano band-aid). One side is strongly adhesive, designed to stick to tissues around wounds; the other side shows very little tissue adhesion. The sheet breaks down naturally after healing.

The new bandage, measuring between 30 to 1,500 nanometers, is made from chitosan — a substance often used for artificial skin derived from chitin, found in crab shells — and alginate sodium, produced in kelp slime.

More info