Issue

Vol. 15 (2023)

Biological Tissue-Inspired Ultrasoft, Ultrathin, and Mechanically Enhanced Microfiber Composite Hydrogel for Flexible Bioelectronics

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01096-4
Qiang Gao
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
Fuqin Sun
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
Yue Li
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
Lianhui Li
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
Mengyuan Liu
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
Shuqi Wang
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
Yongfeng Wang
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
Tie Li
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
Lin Liu
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
Simin Feng
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
Xiaowei Wang
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
Seema Agarwal
Department of Chemistry, Bavarian Center for Battery Technology (BayBatt), Bayreuth Center for Colloids and Interfaces, and Bavarian Polymer Institute, Macromolecular Chemistry II, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
Ting Zhang
i‑Lab, Nano‑X Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Key Laboratory of Multifunction Nanomaterials and Smart Systems, Suzhou Institute of Nano- Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Ting Zhang

tzhang2009@sinano.ac.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 15 (2023), Article Number: 139

Abstract

Hydrogels offer tissue-like softness, stretchability, fracture toughness, ionic conductivity, and compatibility with biological tissues, which make them promising candidates for fabricating flexible bioelectronics. A soft hydrogel film offers an ideal interface to directly bridge thin-film electronics with the soft tissues. However, it remains difficult to fabricate a soft hydrogel film with an ultrathin configuration and excellent mechanical strength. Here we report a biological tissue-inspired ultrasoft microfiber composite ultrathin (< 5 μm) hydrogel film, which is currently the thinnest hydrogel film as far as we know. The embedded microfibers endow the composite hydrogel with prominent mechanical strength (tensile stress ~ 6 MPa) and anti-tearing property. Moreover, our microfiber composite hydrogel offers the capability of tunable mechanical properties in a broad range, allowing for matching the modulus of most biological tissues and organs. The incorporation of glycerol and salt ions imparts the microfiber composite hydrogel with high ionic conductivity and prominent anti-dehydration behavior. Such microfiber composite hydrogels are promising for constructing attaching-type flexible bioelectronics to monitor biosignals.


Highlights:


1 A novel strategy was developed to construct ultrathin microfiber composite hydrogel films (< 5 μm) by embedding an electrospun fiber network into a hydrogel.
2 The microfiber composite hydrogel offers tunable modulus in a broad range (from ~ 5 kPa to tens of MPa), which matches the modulus of most biological tissues and organs.
3 The ultrathin configuration and ultrasoft nature allow the microfiber composite hydrogel seamlessly attaching to various rough surfaces.

Keywords

Fiber Hydrogel Flexible electronics Thin film Electrospinning
Gao, Qiang, Fuqin Sun, Yue Li, Lianhui Li, Mengyuan Liu, Shuqi Wang, Yongfeng Wang, Tie Li, Lin Liu, Simin Feng, Xiaowei Wang, Seema Agarwal, and Ting Zhang. 2023. “Biological Tissue-Inspired Ultrasoft, Ultrathin, and Mechanically Enhanced Microfiber Composite Hydrogel for Flexible Bioelectronics”. Nano-Micro Letters 15 (May):139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01096-4.
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