Topological supramolecular network enabled high-conductivity, stretchable organic bioelectronics

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 375; no. 6587; pp. 1411 - 1417
• Main Authors: Jiang, Yuanwen, Zhang, Zhitao, Wang, Yi-Xuan, Li, Deling, Coen, Charles-Théophile, Hwaun, Ernie, Chen, Gan, Wu, Hung-Chin, Zhong, Donglai, Niu, Simiao, Wang, Weichen, Saberi, Aref, Lai, Jian-Cheng, Wu, Yilei, Wang, Yang, Trotsyuk, Artem A., Loh, Kang Yong, Shih, Chien-Chung, Xu, Wenhui, Liang, Kui, Zhang, Kailiang, Bai, Yihong, Gurusankar, Gurupranav, Hu, Wenping, Jia, Wang, Cheng, Zhen, Dauskardt, Reinhold H., Gurtner, Geoffrey C., Tok, Jeffrey B.-H., Deisseroth, Karl, Soltesz, Ivan, Bao, Zhenan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The American Association for the Advancement of Science 25.03.2022; AAAS
• Subjects: 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; Bioelectricity; Conducting polymers; Conductivity; Crystallization; Cyclodextrin; Cyclodextrins; ENGINEERING; INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; Mechanical properties; Polyethylene glycol; Polymer blends; Polymers; Polystyrene; Polystyrene resins; Stretchability; Substrates
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.abj7564

Intrinsically stretchable bioelectronic devices based on soft and conducting organic materials have been regarded as the ideal interface for seamless and biocompatible integration with the human body. A remaining challenge is to combine high mechanical robustness with good electrical conduction, especially when patterned at small feature sizes. We develop a molecular engineering strategy based on a topological supramolecular network, which allows for the decoupling of competing effects from multiple molecular building blocks to meet complex requirements. We obtained simultaneously high conductivity and crack-onset strain in a physiological environment, with direct photopatternability down to the cellular scale. We further collected stable electromyography signals on soft and malleable octopus and performed localized neuromodulation down to single-nucleus precision for controlling organ-specific activities through the delicate brainstem. Approaches to making soft electronics can involve putting rigid objects onto a soft substrate or finding ways to improve the conductivity and mechanical strength of inherently soft materials. Jiang et al . considered the systematic introduction of polyrotaxanes into soft conductive membranes made of the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). The polyrotaxane consisted of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) backbone with cyclodextrins attached using PEG-methacrylate side chains. The cyclodextrins can slide back and forth along the chains, thus preventing crystallization of the PEG and providing better stretchability. The blended polymers could be photopatterned down to two-micrometer feature sizes and exhibited enhanced conductivity, making them suitable for surface-mounted and implanted bioelectronic devices. —MSL A stretchable conducting polymer allows stable monitoring of soft-bodied octopus and precise modulation of delicate brainstem.