A droplet solution for wrapping thin bioelectronics onto complex 3D surfaces

Subjects

The development of sophisticated bioelectronic interfaces is a critical area of biomedical research. These devices promise high-fidelity monitoring, therapeutic treatments and advanced neuromodulation. However, wrapping delicate electronic films conformally onto the highly curved, dynamic surfaces of organs, nerves and even individual cells without causing damage to the device or the tissue is still an engineering challenge. Existing methods often rely on complex film patterning (such as serpentine designs) or elastomeric substrates, which can compromise the device’s electrical performance or structural integrity, especially when facing large-scale deformation.

A recent paper from Jia, Chen, Song and colleagues at Beijing Tiantan Hospital in Beijing, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing proposes an elegant and mechanically intuitive solution called drop-printing, where a droplet of liquid, such as water or saline solution, acts as a lubricating, low-friction layer during the transfer of ultrathin electronic films onto a target surface. As the film is transferred and conforms to the complex 3D shape of the underlying tissue or substrate, the droplet facilitates localized sliding, leveraging the physics of surface tension and lubrication to achieve high-fidelity conformal integration. This mechanism prevents the film from stretching in-plane, thereby eliminating the stress concentration that typically leads to device fracture.

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