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Bioelectronic devices and components made from soft, polymer-based and hybrid electronic materials form natural interfaces with the human body. Advances in the molecular design of stretchable dielectric, conducting and semiconducting polymers, as well as their composites with various metallic and inorganic nanoscale or microscale materials, have led to more unobtrusive and conformal interfaces with tissues and organs. Nonetheless, technical challenges associated with functional performance, stability and reliability of integrated soft bioelectronic systems still remain. This Review discusses recent progress in biomedical applications of soft organic and hybrid electronic materials, device components and integrated systems for addressing these challenges. We first discuss strategies for achieving soft and stretchable devices, highlighting molecular and materials design concepts for incorporating intrinsically stretchable functional materials. We next describe design strategies and considerations on wearable devices for on-skin sensing and prostheses. Moving beneath the skin, we discuss advances in implantable devices enabled by materials and integrated devices with tissue-like mechanical properties. Finally, we summarize strategies used to build standalone integrated systems and whole-body networks to integrate wearable and implantable bioelectronic devices with other essential components, including wireless communication units, power sources, interconnects and encapsulation.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available August 1, 2025
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Cells execute remarkable functions using biopolymers synthesized from natural building blocks. Engineering cells to leverage the vast array of synthesizable abiotic polymers could provide enhanced or entirely new cellular functions. Here we discuss the applications of in situ-synthesized abiotic polymers in three distinct domains: intracellular polymerization, cell-surface polymerization and extracellular polymerization. These advances have led to novel applications in various areas, such as cancer therapy, cell imaging, cellular activity manipulation, cell protection and electrode assembly. Examples of these synthetic approaches can be applied across all domains of life, ranging from microbes and cultured mammalian cells to plants and animals. Finally, we discuss challenges and future opportunities in this emerging field, which could enable new synthetic approaches to influence biological processes and functions.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available June 20, 2025
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Free, publicly-accessible full text available June 1, 2025
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Free, publicly-accessible full text available May 11, 2025
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Cell type-specific interfaces within living animals will be invaluable for achieving communication with identifiable cells over the long term, enabling applications across many scientific and medical fields. However, biological tissues exhibit complex and dynamic organization properties that pose serious challenges for chronic cell-specific interfacing. A new technology, combining chemistry and molecular biology, has emerged to address this challenge: genetically targeted chemical assembly (GTCA), in which specific cells are genetically programmed (even in wild-type or non-transgenic animals, including mammals) to chemically construct non-biological structures. Here, we discuss recent progress in genetically targeted construction of materials and outline opportunities that may expand the GTCA toolbox, including specific chemical processes involving novel monomers, catalysts and reaction regimes both de cellula (from the cell) and ad cellula (towards the cell); different GTCA-compatible reaction conditions with a focus on light-based patterning; and potential applications of GTCA in research and clinical settings.more » « less
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Abstract Stretchable polymer semiconductors (PSCs) have seen great advancements alongside the development of soft electronics. But it remains a challenge to simultaneously achieve high charge carrier mobility and stretchability. Herein, we report the finding that stretchable PSC thin films (<100-nm-thick) with high stretchability tend to exhibit multi-modal energy dissipation mechanisms and have a large relative stretchability (
rS ) defined by the ratio of the entropic energy dissipation to the enthalpic energy dissipation under strain. They effectively recovered the original molecular ordering, as well as electrical performance, after strain was released. The highestrS value with a model polymer (P4) exhibited an average charge carrier mobility of 0.2 cm2V−1s−1under 100% biaxial strain, while PSCs with lowrS values showed irreversible morphology changes and rapid degradation of electrical performance under strain. These results suggestrS can be used as a parameter to compare the reliability and reversibility of stretchable PSC thin films. -
Self-healing soft electronic and robotic devices can, like human skin, recover autonomously from damage. While current devices use a single type of dynamic polymer for all functional layers to ensure strong interlayer adhesion, this approach requires manual layer alignment. In this study, we used two dynamic polymers, which have immiscible backbones but identical dynamic bonds, to maintain interlayer adhesion while enabling autonomous realignment during healing. These dynamic polymers exhibit a weakly interpenetrating and adhesive interface, whose width is tunable. When multilayered polymer films are misaligned after damage, these structures autonomously realign during healing to minimize interfacial free energy. We fabricated devices with conductive, dielectric, and magnetic particles that functionally heal after damage, enabling thin-film pressure sensors, magnetically assembled soft robots, and underwater circuit assembly.
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Abstract CLARITY is a tissue preservation and optical clearing technique whereby a hydrogel is formed directly within the architectural confines of ex vivo brain tissue. In this work, the extent of polymer gel formation and crosslinking within tissue was assessed using Raman spectroscopy and rheology on CLARITY samples prepared with a range of acrylamide monomer (AAm) concentrations (1%, 4%, 8%, 12% w/v). Raman spectroscopy of individual neurons within hybrids revealed the chemical presence and distribution of polyacrylamide within the mouse hippocampus. Consistent with rheological measurements, lower %AAm concentration decreased shear elastic modulus G’, providing a practical correlation with sample permeability and protein retention. Permeability of F(ab)’2 secondary fluorescent antibody changes from 9.3 to 1.4 µm2 s−1going from 1 to 12%. Notably, protein retention increased linearly relative to standard PFA-fixed tissue from 96.6% when AAm concentration exceeded 1%, with 12% AAm samples retaining up to ~ 99.3% native protein. This suggests that though 1% AAm offers high permeability, additional %AAm may be required to enhance protein. Our quantitative results on polymer distribution, stability, protein retention, and macromolecule permeability can be used to guide the design of future CLARITY-based tissue-clearing solutions, and establish protocols for characterization of novel tissue-polymer hybrid biomaterials using chemical spectroscopy and rheology.