Hybrid materials approaches for bioelectronics

Bioelectronic systems are emerging technologies with unique capabilities for establishing bidirectional biophysical and biochemical interfaces to soft living tissues. Applications range from tools for biomedical research on organoids and animal models to sensing and therapeutic platforms for addressing patient needs. Recent advances in materials science, materials processing techniques, and assembly/integration methods establish the foundations for progress in this area, with a growing collection of successful examples of translation into commercial products. This article summarizes our own work in this area, with an emphasis on hybrid approaches that combine both organic and inorganic materials into engineered composite structures optimized to support functional requirements, including physical/chemical levels of biocompatibility, high-performance electronic/microfluidic operation, tissue-like mechanical properties and geometries, and in some cases, fully bioresorbable designs and/or three-dimensional (3D) layouts. System-level examples that leverage these ideas span (1) epidermal platforms that probe the electrical, thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties of the skin and underlying physiological processes for diagnostic purposes; (2) implantable devices that combine sensors and therapeutic actuators under closed-loop feedback control through intimate interfaces to various tissues/organs; (3) bioresorbable electronic systems as temporary implants that support a desired operational time frame and then harmlessly degrade within the body; and (4) 3D mesoscale networks that integrate with tissue constructs across volumetric spaces for multimodal neuromodulation, sensing, and manipulation. We conclude with an overview of the current state of the field and a summary of research opportunities in hybrid materials approaches as the basis for continued advances in bioelectronics. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]