Dissolvable Films of Silk Fibroin for Ultrathin, Conformal Bio-Integrated Electronics

Dissolvable Films of Silk Fibroin for Ultrathin, Conformal Bio-Integrated Electronics

2010 June ; 9(6): 511–517. doi:10.1038/nmat2745. | Dae-Hyeong Kim, Jonathan Viventi, Jason J. Amsden, Jianliang Xiao, Leif Vigeland, Yun-Soung Kim, Justin A. Blanco, Bruce Panilaitis, Eric S. Frechette, Diego Contreras, David L. Kaplan, Fiorenzo G. Omenetto, Yonggang Huang, Keh-Chih Hwang, Mitchell R. Zakin, Brian Litt, John A. Rogers
This paper presents a novel approach to bio-integrated electronics using ultrathin, conformal devices supported by biodegradable silk fibroin substrates. The authors describe a method to fabricate thin, flexible, and conformal neural recording systems that can be implanted into biological tissues, particularly the brain, with minimal tissue damage and improved long-term stability. The silk fibroin films, which are optically transparent, mechanically robust, and biocompatible, serve as a platform for integrating ultrathin electronics. The dissolvable nature of the silk substrate allows for spontaneous, conformal wrapping of the device on complex biological surfaces, driven by capillary forces. The study includes detailed fabrication processes, mechanical modeling, and in vivo experiments on a feline animal model, demonstrating the effectiveness of the system in achieving high-fidelity neural mapping and recording. The results highlight the potential of this technology for improving brain-computer interfaces and other medical applications.This paper presents a novel approach to bio-integrated electronics using ultrathin, conformal devices supported by biodegradable silk fibroin substrates. The authors describe a method to fabricate thin, flexible, and conformal neural recording systems that can be implanted into biological tissues, particularly the brain, with minimal tissue damage and improved long-term stability. The silk fibroin films, which are optically transparent, mechanically robust, and biocompatible, serve as a platform for integrating ultrathin electronics. The dissolvable nature of the silk substrate allows for spontaneous, conformal wrapping of the device on complex biological surfaces, driven by capillary forces. The study includes detailed fabrication processes, mechanical modeling, and in vivo experiments on a feline animal model, demonstrating the effectiveness of the system in achieving high-fidelity neural mapping and recording. The results highlight the potential of this technology for improving brain-computer interfaces and other medical applications.
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