Self-healing, Stretchable and Tissue-Adhesive Materials for Stable Bioelectronics

Conventional flexible/stretchable devices capable of monitoring bio-signals and delivering the feedback information have been considered as essential functional components in realizing the stable closed-loop bioelectronics. Despite such significant progress, their mechanical and electrical instability, originating from materials fatigue and the absence of tissue adhesion, still remains a challenge in pursuit of strain-durable tissue-interfacing capability.<br/>Here, we report optimal stretchable materials design strategies and device fabrication/integration technologies for the two different kinds of self-healing tissue-adhesive bioelectronics: i) A patch-type platform for either facile peripheral nerve repair (neurorrhaphy) in rodents and nonhuman primates or large-scale conformal cardiac interfacing; ii) A syringe-injection-type platform for instantaneous closed-loop rehabilitation. The patch-type self-healing bioelectronics consists of ionically conductive hydrogel adhesive and tough composite electrodes with solid and liquid micro-/nano-fillers, enabling both on-tissue strain-insensitive electrical performance and mechanical adaptation. In terms of the injectable type, tough hydrogel with irreversible yet freely rearrangeable biphenyl bonds and reversible coordinate bonds with conductive gold nanoparticles was applied to injured nerves/muscles for realizing immediate closed-loop robot-assisted rehabilitation and effective tissue regeneration.