Monitoring soft-tissue biomechanics is of interest in biomedical research and clinical treatment of diseases. An important focus is biointegrated strain gauges that track time-dependent mechanics of targeted tissues with deforming surfaces over multidirections. Existing methods provide limited gauge factors, tailored for sensing within specific directions under quasi-static conditions. We present development and applicability of implantable/wearable strain gauges that integrate multiple ultrathin monocrystalline silicon–based sensors aligned with different directions, in stretchable formats for dynamically monitoring direction angle–sensitive strain. We experimentally and computationally establish operational principles, with theoretical systems that enable determination of intensities and direction of applied strains at an omnidirectional scale. Wearable evaluations range from cardiac pulse to intraocular pressure monitoring of eyeballs. The device can evaluate cardiac disorders of myocardial infarction and hypoxia of living rats and locate the pathological orientation associated with infarction, in designs with possibilities as biodegradable implants for stable operation. These findings create clinical significance of the devices for monitoring complex dynamic biomechanics.
2 January 2024 in International Journal of Mechanical Sciences
High-precision in vivo therapeutic technologies that establish three-dimensional (3D), multimodal neural interfaces with targeted biotissues offer significant clinical potential for the timely treatments of localized peripheral nerve injury (PNI). Current approaches for this purpose such as implantable devices face challenges in terms of percutaneous wires and/or nondegradable designs, and support only single-mode operation that lack microscale spatial resolution. Here, we develop a miniaturized, self-wrapping system that yields wireless, multimodal neural interfaces with 3D adaptation across localized peripheral nerves at scales ranging from tens of micrometers (15 μm) to millimeters. Such platform integrates multilayer architectures that include SiN x layers as the mechanically triggered substrate for 3D wrapping, with multimodal treatments via MXene and drug-loaded layers for photothermal stimulation and pharmacological release. Experimental and computational studies establish operational principle as the basis for the combination of long-term photothermal therapy and transient drug delivery at high spatiotemporal resolution. In vivo tests on living rat models demonstrate that the implantable neural interface can roll up across the localized, dynamic surface of injured nerves, providing sustained treatments over 1 mo in a fully bioresorbable design after the healing process. These findings create future opportunities of such wireless, multimodal system with 3D self-wrapping techniques for precise PNI therapeutic strategies.