Bio-implantation Strategy for the Bio-Interfaces with Minimally Invasive Surgery Based on the Mechanical Analysis

Among the deformable electronic devices, there are bio-implantable electronics that consist of biocompatible materials and withstand biological motions with deformability. It can operate in the body with biocompatible materials for all components, and it is considered to be a key technology for the future. The general bio-implantable electronics use biocompatible materials, but it needs extra removal surgery after the functional period. If all components of bio-implantable electronics are substituted with biocompatible and bioresorbable materials, it does not have to conduct extra removal surgery and it can be naturally resolved with the body fluid after the functional period. It means that the patient becomes free from the anesthesia and secondary infection through the extra surgery. The minimally invasive surgery concept is also actively researched in the bio-medical field. It pursues the minimization of a wound during surgery or the implantation process. It is possible to incise the minimum area to minimize the recovery time of the wound and greatly reduce the probability of infection and scarring even if surgery is performed when it uses this concept.<br/>In this research, we intend to fabricate a biocompatible and bioresorbable electronic device that can resolve after the functional period, and it can highly expand into a large area when injected into the body. The bioresorbable shape memory polymers are a strong candidate for the shape expansion behavior near the body temperature. In addition, the electronic device must be spread through the narrow gap between the tissue and the skull to place the electronic device on the tissue. Therefore, during the process of suction and injection into the tube, the analysis of the mechanical properties of the entire electronic device and the optimization of the deformation mode and mechanism depending on the device structure are intended to be achieved at the same time. The deformation behavior was analyzed based on the accurately measured mechanical properties of all constituent materials to realize this concept. The suction & injection process was simulated through 3D finite element simulation based on the measured mechanical properties, and a general design rule for the structural design of mechanically reliable, bioresorbable, shape expandable, minimally invasive implantable electronics can be presented. As a result, it is expected that this concept can open a novel paradigm of bio-implantable electronics.