Issue

Vol. 16 (2024)

Highly Elastic, Bioresorbable Polymeric Materials for Stretchable, Transient Electronic Systems

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01268-2
Jeong‑Woong Shin
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Dong‑Je Kim
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Tae‑Min Jang
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Won Bae Han
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Joong Hoon Lee
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Gwan‑Jin Ko
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Seung Min Yang
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Kaveti Rajaram
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
Sungkeun Han
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Heeseok Kang
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Jun Hyeon Lim
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Chan‑Hwi Eom
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Amay J. Bandodkar
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
Suk‑Won Hwang
KU‑KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam‑ro, Seongbuk‑gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea

Corresponding Author: Suk‑Won Hwang

dupong76@korea.ac.kr

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 16 (2024), Article Number: 102

Abstract

Substrates or encapsulants in soft and stretchable formats are key components for transient, bioresorbable electronic systems; however, elastomeric polymers with desired mechanical and biochemical properties are very limited compared to non-transient counterparts. Here, we introduce a bioresorbable elastomer, poly(glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PGCL), that contains excellent material properties including high elongation-at-break (< 1300%), resilience and toughness, and tunable dissolution behaviors. Exploitation of PGCLs as polymer matrices, in combination with conducing polymers, yields stretchable, conductive composites for degradable interconnects, sensors, and actuators, which can reliably function under external strains. Integration of device components with wireless modules demonstrates elastic, transient electronic suture system with on-demand drug delivery for rapid recovery of post-surgical wounds in soft, time-dynamic tissues.


Highlights:
1 The paper introduces a bioresorbable elastomer, poly(glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PGCL), with remarkable mechanical properties, including high elongation-at-break (< 1300%), resilience, and toughness (75 MJ m−3) for soft and transient electronics.
2 Fabrication of conducting polymers with PGCL yields stretchable, conductive composites for transient electronic devices, functioning reliably under external strains.
3 The study demonstrates the feasibility of a disintegrable electronic suture system with on-demand drug delivery for rapid recovery of post-surgical wounds on soft, time-dynamic tissues or versatile biomedical areas of interest.

Keywords

Biodegradable elastomer Conductive polymer composites Biomedical device Transient electronics
Shin, Jeong‑Woong, Dong‑Je Kim, Tae‑Min Jang, Won Bae Han, Joong Hoon Lee, Gwan‑Jin Ko, Seung Min Yang, Kaveti Rajaram, Sungkeun Han, Heeseok Kang, Jun Hyeon Lim, Chan‑Hwi Eom, Amay J. Bandodkar, and Suk‑Won Hwang. 2024. “Highly Elastic, Bioresorbable Polymeric Materials for Stretchable, Transient Electronic Systems”. Nano-Micro Letters 16 (February):102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01268-2.
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