Biomimetic and immune-compatible designs of mixed-conducting polymers for tissue-interfaced biosensing

The use of bioelectronic devices for acquiring biological information and delivering therapeutic interventions relies on direct contact with soft bio-tissues. To ensure high-quality signal transductions, the interfaces between bioelectronic devices and bio-tissues must combine signal amplification with stable and conformable contact. Organic electrochemical transistors based on mixed-conducting polymers have been developed as one of the most advanced technologies for high-performance bio-sensing. However, the rigid mechanical properties and the lack of tissue/skin adhesion from mixed-conducting polymers largely prevent the formation of such intimate and long-term stable bio-interfaces. Also, immune-mediated foreign-body response (FBR) stands as the most widely existing challenge, which can lead to the growth of fibrotic tissue at the tissue-device interface. In this talk, I will first introduce our material and device designs for introducing stretchable and tissue-adhesive properties onto mixed-conducting polymers and OECT-based biosensors. Then, to combat FBR, I will introduce a set of molecular design strategies for enhancing the immune compatibility of mixed-conducting polymers.