Summary:
UCLA Researchers in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have developed a library of soft, stretchable biomaterials that decouple bioelectronic interfaces resulting in improved sensing and neural stimulation devices that can withstand significant strain.
Background:
The interface between electronic devices and biological tissue is critical in various neuromodulation and biomarker sensing applications. It’s important that these electronic devices have material properties that closely resemble those of native tissues, such as stretchability, to ensure high-fidelity sensing and stimulation and reduce the risk of complications. However, achieving the required mechanical properties can sometimes hinder the electrochemical and electrical performance of these materials. Currently, clinical materials used in these applications are either made of stiff and brittle metals with good electrochemical performance or stretchable, polymer-based bioelectrodes that can exhibit a wide range of electrochemical performance. There is still an unmet need for highly active electrochemical devices that are insensitive to strain and exhibit favorable mechanical properties.
Innovation:
Dr. Emaminejad and colleagues have developed a new library of soft, stretchable, and strain-insensitive bioelectronics with brittle interfacial materials. These devices feature a layered architecture that separates the bioelectronic material configuration into one interfacial element and one interconnection element. This decoupling effectively eliminates the impact of strain on device performance, opening up a wider range of interfacial material options for tissue-electronics applications. The researchers demonstrated that these new materials perform well in both sensing and neural stimulation, even under significant strain. By incorporating different metals or materials into these electronic-tissue interfaces, the range of accessible bioelectronics can be further expanded. Overall, this innovation holds great potential for advancing the field of bioelectronics.
Potential Applications:
• Tissue-electronic interfacial materials
• Bioelectrodes
• Neuromodulation
• Biomarker sensing
Advantages:
• Strain insensitive
• Good electrochemical performance
• Compatible with common interfacial metals (Au, Pt, C, IrOx)
• Layered composite design
Development to Date:
Successful in-vivo demonstration of invention
Related Papers:
Soft strain-insensitive bioelectronics featuring brittle materials
Reference:
UCLA Case No. 2022-201
Lead Inventor:
Sam Emaminejad