Created by a Canadian team, this viscous material produces electricity when subjected to pressure: compatible with the human body, it could revolutionize medicine, movement analysis and robotics, also acting as the basis for synthetic skin or smart patches

A research team at the University of Guelph in Canada has created a groundbreaking slime that generates electricity when compressed. The innovative material, described in a study published on ScienceDirect, is led by Professor Erica Pensini alongside Professors Alejandro G. Marangoni, Aicheng Chen, and Stefano Gregori.

This squishy, sticky substance could become a game changer in sustainable energy, medicine, and advanced robotics.

“We wanted to create something completely harmless, something I could put on my skin without worry.”

At the core of this discovery lies the slime’s piezoelectric properties—its ability to produce an electrical current when pressure is applied. This makes it an ideal candidate for integration into surfaces like flooring, where the mechanical energy of footsteps could be converted into usable electricity.

Pensini also suggests incorporating it into shoe insoles to monitor walking patterns in real time.

But the applications go far beyond energy.

Thanks to its extreme sensitivity to pressure, this material could be used to develop synthetic robotic skin capable of detecting human touch. One real-world use? Teaching a robot how to feel a patient’s pulse.

“We used the Canadian Light Source, a powerful synchrotron, to observe the material’s crystal structure. We discovered that applying an electric field can actually modify it.”

During testing, researchers found that the slime’s microscopic structure is highly dynamic. It can form hexagonal shapes, layer itself like lasagna, or morph like a sponge—depending on how it’s manipulated. These properties were documented using the Canadian Light Source, a national research facility at the University of Saskatchewan, frequently used to study innovative materials in fields like agriculture, health, and environmental science.

A body-friendly biogel with drug delivery potential

One of the most impressive aspects of the slime is its natural composition: it’s made up of 90% water, oleic acid (found in olive oil), and amino acids. This makes it highly compatible with the human body, opening the door to medical applications.

“The slime could also be used to deliver medication precisely or speed up wound healing through smart patches.”

Pensini’s long-term vision is clear: a non-toxic, regenerative gel that could treat injuries and deliver drugs directly where they’re needed.

Our own bodies already generate tiny electric fields that help guide cells toward healing. If we can enhance that effect, we might be able to dramatically accelerate tissue repair.

Pensini is currently testing the slime on herself, applying it as a regenerative hand balm, as she works to optimize it for clinical use.

Source: Journal of Molecular Liquids