Recent Trends in Adhesive Bioelectronics using Self-healing and Stretchable Materials

Closed-loop bioelectronics capable of monitoring real-time physiological data and delivering feedback modulation have utilized wearable and implantable devices to achieve on-demand personalized healthcare. Despite these approaches, which aim to achieve seamless and conformal contact with the human body, challenges remain due to the lack of material strategies for spontaneous mechanical and electrical recovery. In other words, the adoption of damage-vulnerable polymers has led to short-term tissue-interfacing performance. In this review, we discuss recent developments in damage-resistant bioelectronics consisting of tough, underwater self-healing polymers, solid/liquid conducting fillers, and tissue-adhesive materials. Furthermore, this review particularly focuses on various material designs enabling intimate and robust adhesion of bioelectronics to a variety of biological tissues. Additionally, recent developments and future prospects for emerging approaches that could further advance bioelectronics are also discussed.