Soft and Transient Bioelectronics Enabled by Polymer‐Free Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene Hydrogels

ABSTRACT Implantable bioelectronics for acute neural applications must combine tissue‐like mechanics with high electrochemical performance while enabling safe biodegradation to avoid risks associated with explant surgeries. Here, we present MXgel bioelectronics, a soft and fully transient hydrogel platform that enables high‐fidelity electrophysiological recordings and effective stimulation with programmable degradation under physiological conditions. The platform employs polymer‐free Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene hydrogels (MXgel) that achieve exceptional electrical conductivities (hydrated: 790 ± 150 S m −1 , freeze‐dried: 4420 ± 576 S m −1 ). Integrated on biodegradable gelatin‐based substrates, MXgel bioelectronics exhibit low electrochemical impedance (1.06 ± 0.37 kΩ at 1 kHz), 25‐fold higher cathodic charge storage (207.1 ± 48.8 mC cm −2 ), and 10‐fold greater charge injection capacity (0.24 ± 0.08 mC cm −2 ) than conventional clinical electrodes. We demonstrate that these properties enable cortical and peripheral neural recordings with ∼60 dB signal‐to‐noise ratio and effective neuromodulation. Moreover, MXgel bioelectronics undergo safe degradation under physiological conditions with predictable and tunable kinetics. Importantly, MXgel bioelectronics do not trigger severe foreign body reaction, and their degradation byproducts do not accumulate in the body, confirming safe systemic clearance. Together, these results establish MXgel bioelectronics as a clinically relevant platform for soft, high‐performance, and transient neural interfaces.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-09-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.75137
Primary Topic
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
Type
article
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article

Soft and Transient Bioelectronics Enabled by Polymer‐Free Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene Hydrogels

Yuan Zhang, Lucy Plant, Flavia Vitale, Raghav Garg et al.
Advanced Materials
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
article

Soft and Transient Bioelectronics Enabled by Polymer‐Free Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene Hydrogels

Yuan Zhang, Lucy Plant, Flavia Vitale, Raghav Garg, Andrew G. Richardson, Dayo O. Adewole, Stefano Ippolito, Bita Soltan Mohammadlou, Franco A. Laimo, Spencer R. Averbeck, Dimitris Boufidis, Sai Nandan Panigrahy, Charles‐Antoine Assenmacher, D. Kacy Cullen, Prastuti Upadhyay, Yury Gogotsi
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Implantable bioelectronics for acute neural applications must combine tissue‐like mechanics with high electrochemical performance while enabling safe biodegradation to avoid risks associated with explant surgeries. Here, we present MXgel bioelectronics, a soft and fully transient hydrogel platform that enables high‐fidelity electrophysiological recordings and effective stimulation with programmable degradation under physiological conditions. The platform employs polymer‐free Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene hydrogels (MXgel) that achieve exceptional electrical conductivities (hydrated: 790 ± 150 S m −1 , freeze‐dried: 4420 ± 576 S m −1 ). Integrated on biodegradable gelatin‐based substrates, MXgel bioelectronics exhibit low electrochemical impedance (1.06 ± 0.37 kΩ at 1 kHz), 25‐fold higher cathodic charge storage (207.1 ± 48.8 mC cm −2 ), and 10‐fold greater charge injection capacity (0.24 ± 0.08 mC cm −2 ) than conventional clinical electrodes. We demonstrate that these properties enable cortical and peripheral neural recordings with ∼60 dB signal‐to‐noise ratio and effective neuromodulation. Moreover, MXgel bioelectronics undergo safe degradation under physiological conditions with predictable and tunable kinetics. Importantly, MXgel bioelectronics do not trigger severe foreign body reaction, and their degradation byproducts do not accumulate in the body, confirming safe systemic clearance. Together, these results establish MXgel bioelectronics as a clinically relevant platform for soft, high‐performance, and transient neural interfaces.

Advanced Materials
Philadelphia VA Medical Center (US), Drexel University (US), University of Pennsylvania (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 21%
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
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