Adaptive self-healing electronic epineurium for chronic bidirectional neural interfaces

Kang-Il Song, Hyunseon Seo, Duhwan Seong, Seunghoe Kim, Ki Jun Yu, Yu-Chan Kim, Jinseok Kim, Seok Joon Kwon, Hyung-Seop Han, Inchan Youn (), Hyojin Lee () and Donghee Son ()
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Kang-Il Song: Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Hyunseon Seo: Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Duhwan Seong: Sungkyunkwan University
Seunghoe Kim: Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Ki Jun Yu: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University
Yu-Chan Kim: Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Jinseok Kim: Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Seok Joon Kwon: Nanophotonics Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Hyung-Seop Han: Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Inchan Youn: Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Hyojin Lee: Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Donghee Son: Sungkyunkwan University

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Realizing a clinical-grade electronic medicine for peripheral nerve disorders is challenging owing to the lack of rational material design that mimics the dynamic mechanical nature of peripheral nerves. Electronic medicine should be soft and stretchable, to feasibly allow autonomous mechanical nerve adaptation. Herein, we report a new type of neural interface platform, an adaptive self-healing electronic epineurium (A-SEE), which can form compressive stress-free and strain-insensitive electronics-nerve interfaces and enable facile biofluid-resistant self-locking owing to dynamic stress relaxation and water-proof self-bonding properties of intrinsically stretchable and self-healable insulating/conducting materials, respectively. Specifically, the A-SEE does not need to be sutured or glued when implanted, thereby significantly reducing complexity and the operation time of microneurosurgery. In addition, the autonomous mechanical adaptability of the A-SEE to peripheral nerves can significantly reduce the mechanical mismatch at electronics-nerve interfaces, which minimizes nerve compression-induced immune responses and device failure. Though a small amount of Ag leaked from the A-SEE is observed in vivo (17.03 ppm after 32 weeks of implantation), we successfully achieved a bidirectional neural signal recording and stimulation in a rat sciatic nerve model for 14 weeks. In view of our materials strategy and in vivo feasibility, the mechanically adaptive self-healing neural interface would be considered a new implantable platform for a wide range application of electronic medicine for neurological disorders in the human nervous system.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18025-3

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