Skin-mimetic adaptive gradient electrode for ambulatory noninvasive brain-computer interfaces

Noninvasive brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) need stable, comfortable electrodes for long-term wear. Current rigid or uniformly soft electrodes suffer from scalp mismatch, causing motion artifacts and short operation times. Inspired by human skin’s gradient structure, we created a skin-mimetic adaptive gradient electrode (AGE). Based on the Marangoni effect, we induced heterogeneous crosslinking in the hydrogel within a gradient temperature field. This yields an electrode with a gradual stiffness change—soft at the scalp interface and firm at the circuit connection—along with a gradient pore structure for sustained electrolyte release. This design enabled stable, high-quality EEG recording for over 8 h during free movement and over 14 h at rest, maintaining >94% typing accuracy. This work demonstrated the potential of gradient-designed hydrogels toward noninvasive BCIs in freely moving practicality.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
npj Flexible Electronics
Published
2026-10-31
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-026-00650-5
Primary Topic
EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Skin-mimetic adaptive gradient electrode for ambulatory noninvasive brain-computer interfaces

Hui Wu, Zifang Tang, Z H Feng, Zhibao Huang et al.
npj Flexible Electronics
EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
article

Skin-mimetic adaptive gradient electrode for ambulatory noninvasive brain-computer interfaces

Hui Wu, Zifang Tang, Z H Feng, Zhibao Huang, Sen Lin, Huihe Chen, 魏文伯, Yichen Liang, Hong-Bang Liu, Jieyu Huang, Jingjing Jiang, Haolun Wang, Hailan Chen, Hongbo Jia, Sendong Zhou, Zhenlong Zhao, Jinbo Wang, Lipei Yang, Yongchun Liang, Jiawei Xie, Jianfeng Zhang, Sheng Cao, Xilin Li
article en

Abstract

Noninvasive brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) need stable, comfortable electrodes for long-term wear. Current rigid or uniformly soft electrodes suffer from scalp mismatch, causing motion artifacts and short operation times. Inspired by human skin’s gradient structure, we created a skin-mimetic adaptive gradient electrode (AGE). Based on the Marangoni effect, we induced heterogeneous crosslinking in the hydrogel within a gradient temperature field. This yields an electrode with a gradual stiffness change—soft at the scalp interface and firm at the circuit connection—along with a gradient pore structure for sustained electrolyte release. This design enabled stable, high-quality EEG recording for over 8 h during free movement and over 14 h at rest, maintaining >94% typing accuracy. This work demonstrated the potential of gradient-designed hydrogels toward noninvasive BCIs in freely moving practicality.

npj Flexible Electronics
Guangxi University (CN), Guangxi Medical University (CN), Sichuan University (CN), State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing (CN), Chongqing Institute for Brain and Intelligence (CN), Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (DE), Tsinghua University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 14%
EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

Laika access coming soon