The
integration of micro- and nanoelectronics into or onto biomedical
devices can facilitate advanced diagnostics and treatments of digestive
disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. Recent developments
in gastrointestinal endoscopy and balloon catheter technologies introduce
promising paths for minimally invasive surgeries to treat these diseases.
However, current therapeutic endoscopy systems fail to meet requirements
in multifunctionality, biocompatibility, and safety, particularly
when integrated with bioelectronic devices. Here, we report materials,
device designs, and assembly schemes for transparent and stable cubic
silicon carbide (3C-SiC)-based bioelectronic systems that facilitate
tissue ablation, with the capability for integration onto the tips
of endoscopes. The excellent optical transparency of SiC-on-glass
(SoG) allows for direct observation of areas of interest, with superior
electronic functionalities that enable multiple biological sensing
and stimulation capabilities to assist in electrical-based ablation
procedures. Experimental studies on phantom, vegetable, and animal
tissues demonstrated relatively short treatment times and low electric
field required for effective lesion removal using our SoG bioelectronic
system. In vivo experiments on an animal model were
conducted to explore the versatility of SoG electrodes for peripheral
nerve stimulation, showing an exciting possibility for the therapy
of neural disorders through electrical excitation. The multifunctional
features of SoG integrated devices indicate their high potential for
minimally invasive, cost-effective, and outcome-enhanced surgical
tools, across a wide range of biomedical applications.
Recently, wearable electronics for health monitoring have been demonstrated with considerable benefits for earlystage disease detection. This paper reports a flexible, bendinginsensitive, bio-compatible and lightweight respiration sensor. The sensor consists of highly oriented carbon nanotube (HO-CNT) films embedded between electro-spun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) layers. By aligning carbon nanotubes between the PAN layers, the sensor exhibits a high sensitivity towards airflow (340 mV/(m/s)) and excellent flexibility and robustness. In addition, the HO-CNT sensor is insensitive to mechanical bending, making it suitable for wearable applications. We successfully demonstrated the attachment of the sensor to the human philtrum for real-time monitoring of the respiration quality. These results indicate the potential of HO-CNT flow sensor for ubiquitous personal health care applications.
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