Control of polymers’ amorphous-crystalline transition enables miniaturization and multifunctional integration for hydrogel bioelectronics

Sizhe Huang, Xinyue Liu, Shaoting Lin, Christopher Glynn, Kayla Felix, Atharva Sahasrabudhe, Collin Maley, Jingyi Xu, Weixuan Chen, Eunji Hong, Alfred J. Crosby, Qianbin Wang () and Siyuan Rao ()
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Sizhe Huang: State University of New York
Xinyue Liu: Michigan State University
Shaoting Lin: Michigan State University
Christopher Glynn: University of Massachusetts
Kayla Felix: University of Massachusetts
Atharva Sahasrabudhe: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Collin Maley: University of Massachusetts
Jingyi Xu: University of Massachusetts
Weixuan Chen: University of Massachusetts
Eunji Hong: State University of New York
Alfred J. Crosby: University of Massachusetts
Qianbin Wang: State University of New York
Siyuan Rao: State University of New York

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract Soft bioelectronic devices exhibit motion-adaptive properties for neural interfaces to investigate complex neural circuits. Here, we develop a fabrication approach through the control of metamorphic polymers’ amorphous-crystalline transition to miniaturize and integrate multiple components into hydrogel bioelectronics. We attain an about 80% diameter reduction in chemically cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel fibers in a fully hydrated state. This strategy allows regulation of hydrogel properties, including refractive index (1.37-1.40 at 480 nm), light transmission (>96%), stretchability (139-169%), bending stiffness (4.6 ± 1.4 N/m), and elastic modulus (2.8-9.3 MPa). To exploit the applications, we apply step-index hydrogel optical probes in the mouse ventral tegmental area, coupled with fiber photometry recordings and social behavioral assays. Additionally, we fabricate carbon nanotubes-PVA hydrogel microelectrodes by incorporating conductive nanomaterials in hydrogel for spontaneous neural activities recording. We enable simultaneous optogenetic stimulation and electrophysiological recordings of light-triggered neural activities in Channelrhodopsin-2 transgenic mice.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47988-w

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