Implantable, 2D Material-Based Sensor for Neural Recording and Stimulation

For the past few decades, intracranial implants have been developed to diagnose and treat brain diseases. However, traditional implantable devices still depend on invasive probes and bulky sensors, necessitating large-area craniotomies and offering limited biometric information.
In this talk, we introduce an innovative implantable multimodal sensor array that can be injected through a small hole in the skull. This sensor array naturally expands to form a conformal contact with the cortical surface. It features graphene multi-channel electrodes for neural recording and electrical stimulation, along with MoS2-based sensors for monitoring intracranial temperature and pressure. The mesh-based design leverages elastic restoring force to enable the device's expansion.
Our experiments demonstrated that, when injected into a rabbit’s head, the sensor array can detect epileptic discharges on the cortical surface and mitigate them through electrical stimulation. Concurrently, it monitors intracranial temperature and pressure. This approach shows great potential for the implantation of various functional devices via minimally invasive surgery