Bioadhesive and Immune-Compatible Polymer Bioelectronics

Implantable bioelectronics have prevalent applications in fundamental biological studies, disease diagnosis, and medical treatment. To ensure high-quality signal transductions, the interfaces between bioelectronic devices and bio-tissues must have stable and conformable contact. However, this remains a major challenge due to several reasons. First, mediated by the immune system, implantable devices all suffer from the excessive ingrowth of collagen and inflammation reactions around the device, which is known as the foreign-body response (FBR). The fibrosis layer formed at the device-tissue interface leads to a substantial increase in the impedance and thereby limits the longevity of the device. Second, the lack of tissue/skin adhesion properties on electronic materials (i.e., conductors and semiconductors) prevents the formation of intimate and long-term stable bio-interfaces. The research in my group for addressing these challenges has been focusing on electronic polymers, which have the best biocompatibility and broad design tunability. In this presentation, I will introduce a set of molecular design strategies for enhancing the immune compatibility of semiconducting polymers. I will also introduce our material and device designs for introducing tissue-adhesive properties onto polymer semiconductors and transistor-based biosensors. Then, I will show the strategies and advantages of using these new biomimetic properties in bioelectrical and biochemical sensing.