Biodegradable Conductors for Implantable and Wearable Transient Bioelectronics
ABSTRACT Transient bioelectronics, as an emerging class of electronic systems, can degrade at controlled rates or within predefined time frames, thereby avoiding the risks associated with secondary surgical removal while reducing electronic waste. In biomedical applications, these systems offer new opportunities for short‐term monitoring, diagnosis, and therapy in both implantable and wearable formats. Within these systems, biodegradable conductors serve as core functional materials that enable sensing, electrical stimulation, and transmission of signals and energy, thereby determining overall device performance. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in biodegradable conductors, focusing on their degradation mechanisms and the key performance requirements for integration into transient bioelectronics. The characteristics of different classes of biodegradable conductors, including metals, conducting polymers, ionic conductors, and conductive composites, are discussed. Strategies for evaluating and regulating their functional lifetimes, as well as suitable fabrication approaches, are presented. Finally, representative biomedical applications in sensing, stimulation, energy devices, and drug delivery systems are summarized, and future perspectives for the development of transient bioelectronics are outlined.
Authors
- Naoji Matsuhisa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5978-2778)
- Yicheng Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6808-1241)
- Yijun Liu
Institutions
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo (JP)
- Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (JP)
- The University of Tokyo (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Functional Materials
- Published
- 2026-11-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.79473
- Primary Topic
- biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00