Advances in Bioresorbable Materials and Electronics

Abstract

Transient electronic systems represent an emerging class of technology that is defined by an ability to fully or partially dissolve, disintegrate, or otherwise disappear at controlled rates or triggered times through engineered chemical or physical processes after a required period of operation. This review highlights recent advances in materials chemistry that serve as the foundations for a subclass of transient electronics, bioresorbable electronics, that is characterized by an ability to resorb (or, equivalently, to absorb) in a biological environment. The primary use cases are in systems designed to insert into the human body, to provide sensing and/or therapeutic functions for timeframes aligned with natural biological processes. Mechanisms of bioresorption then harmlessly eliminate the devices, and their associated load on and risk to the patient, without the need of secondary removal surgeries. The core content focuses on the chemistry of the enabling electronic materials, spanning organic and inorganic compounds to hybrids and composites, along with their mechanisms of chemical reaction in biological environments. Following discussions highlight the use of these materials in bioresorbable electronic components, sensors, power supplies, and in integrated diagnostic and therapeutic systems formed using specialized methods for fabrication and assembly. A concluding section summarizes opportunities for future research.

Minimizing the Environmental Impacts of Plastic Pollution through Ecodesign of Products with Low Environmental Persistence

“…The metric we propose for minimizing environmental lifetime applies to mitigating terrestrial plastic pollution and waste destined for landfill or composting, although similar data limitations exist for k d in these environments. , Moreover, k d will be a significant parameter for the reliable design of biodegradable plastic products (e.g., transient electronics − and biomedical devices − ), in which the end-of-life disposal is the partial or complete degradation of the item. For these applications, k d is paramount to the prediction and design of their useful lifetime in degrading environments .…”

Aptamer Renaissance for Neurochemical Biosensing

“…A potential avenue to mitigate this issue involves the size reduction of implanted devices to minimize tissue strain and damage. Alternatively, flexible, stretchable, tissue-mimicking devices have shown promise in reducing chronic inflammation. , Further, progress has been made in the area of “transient” electronics featuring biodegradable power sources and wireless data collection capabilities . Engineering such characteristics into aptamer-FET sensors has the potential to improve prospects for long-term monitoring and human use.…”

Degradable π-Conjugated Polymers

“…While next-generation electronics will be diminutive volumewise compared to current devices, their widespread abundance may proliferate, especially with smart monitoring; how do we jumpstart this technology with sustainability in mind? One solution is to impart degradability to future electronics, where devices would disintegrate over a set period of time, − leading to new use cases. For example, health monitoring devices with degradable properties would eliminate the need to be surgically removed from patients and diminish the risk of possible infections .…”