Liquid-based encapsulation for implantable bioelectronics across broad pH environments
Abstract Wearable and implantable bioelectronics that can interface for extended periods with highly mobile organs and tissues across a broad pH range would be useful for various applications in basic biomedical research and clinical medicine. The encapsulation of these systems, however, presents a...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55992-x |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832585589493334016 |
|---|---|
| author | He Sun Xiaoting Xue Gabriella L. Robilotto Xincheng Zhang ChangHee Son Xingchi Chen Yue Cao Kewang Nan Yiyuan Yang Gavin Fennell Jaewook Jung Yang Song Huijie Li Shao-Hao Lu Yizhou Liu Yi Li Weiyi Zhang Jie He Xueju Wang Yan Li Aaron D. Mickle Yi Zhang |
| author_facet | He Sun Xiaoting Xue Gabriella L. Robilotto Xincheng Zhang ChangHee Son Xingchi Chen Yue Cao Kewang Nan Yiyuan Yang Gavin Fennell Jaewook Jung Yang Song Huijie Li Shao-Hao Lu Yizhou Liu Yi Li Weiyi Zhang Jie He Xueju Wang Yan Li Aaron D. Mickle Yi Zhang |
| author_sort | He Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Wearable and implantable bioelectronics that can interface for extended periods with highly mobile organs and tissues across a broad pH range would be useful for various applications in basic biomedical research and clinical medicine. The encapsulation of these systems, however, presents a major challenge, as such devices require superior barrier performance against water and ion penetration in challenging pH environments while also maintaining flexibility and stretchability to match the physical properties of the surrounding tissue. Current encapsulation materials are often limited to near-neutral pH conditions, restricting their application range. In this work, we report a liquid-based encapsulation approach for bioelectronics under extreme pH environments. This approach achieves high optical transparency, stretchability, and mechanical durability. When applied to implantable wireless optoelectronic devices, our encapsulation method demonstrates outstanding water resistance in vitro, ranging from extremely acidic environments (pH = 1.5 and 4.5) to alkaline conditions (pH = 9). We also demonstrate the in vivo biocompatibility of our encapsulation approach and show that encapsulated wireless optoelectronics maintain robust operation throughout 3 months of implantation in freely moving mice. These results indicate that our encapsulation strategy has the potential to protect implantable bioelectronic devices in a wide range of research and clinical applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b43aa5e85b274b8e8252504ed4887e96 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-b43aa5e85b274b8e8252504ed4887e962025-01-26T12:41:23ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111210.1038/s41467-025-55992-xLiquid-based encapsulation for implantable bioelectronics across broad pH environmentsHe Sun0Xiaoting Xue1Gabriella L. Robilotto2Xincheng Zhang3ChangHee Son4Xingchi Chen5Yue Cao6Kewang Nan7Yiyuan Yang8Gavin Fennell9Jaewook Jung10Yang Song11Huijie Li12Shao-Hao Lu13Yizhou Liu14Yi Li15Weiyi Zhang16Jie He17Xueju Wang18Yan Li19Aaron D. Mickle20Yi Zhang21Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of FloridaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Florida State UniversityDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Chemistry and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutDepartment of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Florida State UniversityDepartment of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of FloridaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Materials Science, University of ConnecticutAbstract Wearable and implantable bioelectronics that can interface for extended periods with highly mobile organs and tissues across a broad pH range would be useful for various applications in basic biomedical research and clinical medicine. The encapsulation of these systems, however, presents a major challenge, as such devices require superior barrier performance against water and ion penetration in challenging pH environments while also maintaining flexibility and stretchability to match the physical properties of the surrounding tissue. Current encapsulation materials are often limited to near-neutral pH conditions, restricting their application range. In this work, we report a liquid-based encapsulation approach for bioelectronics under extreme pH environments. This approach achieves high optical transparency, stretchability, and mechanical durability. When applied to implantable wireless optoelectronic devices, our encapsulation method demonstrates outstanding water resistance in vitro, ranging from extremely acidic environments (pH = 1.5 and 4.5) to alkaline conditions (pH = 9). We also demonstrate the in vivo biocompatibility of our encapsulation approach and show that encapsulated wireless optoelectronics maintain robust operation throughout 3 months of implantation in freely moving mice. These results indicate that our encapsulation strategy has the potential to protect implantable bioelectronic devices in a wide range of research and clinical applications.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55992-x |
| spellingShingle | He Sun Xiaoting Xue Gabriella L. Robilotto Xincheng Zhang ChangHee Son Xingchi Chen Yue Cao Kewang Nan Yiyuan Yang Gavin Fennell Jaewook Jung Yang Song Huijie Li Shao-Hao Lu Yizhou Liu Yi Li Weiyi Zhang Jie He Xueju Wang Yan Li Aaron D. Mickle Yi Zhang Liquid-based encapsulation for implantable bioelectronics across broad pH environments Nature Communications |
| title | Liquid-based encapsulation for implantable bioelectronics across broad pH environments |
| title_full | Liquid-based encapsulation for implantable bioelectronics across broad pH environments |
| title_fullStr | Liquid-based encapsulation for implantable bioelectronics across broad pH environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Liquid-based encapsulation for implantable bioelectronics across broad pH environments |
| title_short | Liquid-based encapsulation for implantable bioelectronics across broad pH environments |
| title_sort | liquid based encapsulation for implantable bioelectronics across broad ph environments |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55992-x |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hesun liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT xiaotingxue liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT gabriellalrobilotto liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT xinchengzhang liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT changheeson liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT xingchichen liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT yuecao liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT kewangnan liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT yiyuanyang liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT gavinfennell liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT jaewookjung liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT yangsong liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT huijieli liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT shaohaolu liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT yizhouliu liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT yili liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT weiyizhang liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT jiehe liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT xuejuwang liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT yanli liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT aarondmickle liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments AT yizhang liquidbasedencapsulationforimplantablebioelectronicsacrossbroadphenvironments |