@article{030242f8153246aaa9f17e24db9c69d2,
title = "A stretchable and transparent electrode based on PEGylated silk fibroin for in vivo dual-modal neural-vascular activity probing",
abstract = "Transparent electrodes that form seamless contact and enable optical interrogation at the electrode–brain interface are potentially of high significance for neuroscience studies. Silk hydrogels can offer an ideal platform for transparent neural interfaces owing to their superior biocompatibility. However, conventional silk hydrogels are too weak and have difficulties integrating with highly conductive and stretchable electronics. Here, a transparent and stretchable hydrogel electrode based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and PEGylated silk protein is reported. PEGylated silk protein with poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE) improves the Young's modulus to 1.51–10.73 MPa and the stretchability to ≈400% from conventional silk hydrogels (<10 kPa). The PEGylated silk also helps form a robust interface with PEDOT:PSS thin film, making the hydrogel electrode synergistically incorporate superior stretchability (≈260%), stable electrical performance (≈4 months), and a low sheet resistance (≈160 ± 56 Ω sq−1). Finally, the electrode facilitates efficient electrical recording, and stimulation with unobstructed optical interrogation and rat-brain imaging are demonstrated. The highly transparent and stretchable hydrogel electrode offers a practical tool for neuroscience and paves the way for a harmonized tissue–electrode interface.",
keywords = "dual-modal probing, implantable electrodes, silk hydrogels, transparent electrodes",
author = "Yajing Cui and Fan Zhang and Geng Chen and Lin Yao and Nan Zhang and Zhiyuan Liu and Qingsong Li and Feilong Zhang and Zequn Cui and Keqin Zhang and Peng Li and Yuan Cheng and Shaomin Zhang and Xiaodong Chen",
note = "Funding Information: The authors thank the financial support from the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister's office, Singapore, under its NRF Investigatorship (NRF‐NRFI2017‐07). S.Z. and F.Z. thank the Chinese National Key R&D Program (2017YFE915500) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31371001). Y.C. and N.Z. are grateful for the supports from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the use of A*STAR Computational Resource Centre, Singapore (ACRC) and National Supercomputing Centre, Singapore (NSCC). P.L. and L.Y. thank the support by National Natural Science Foundation of China (62075189) and Zhejiang Lab (2018EB0ZX01). All the experimental protocols involving live animals were reviewed and approved by the IACUC of Zhejiang University (No. ZJU20200129). The authors thank Dr. Ai Lin Chun for giving critical comments on the manuscript. The authors also thank Prof. Jason, Yeo Boon Siang, and You Futian from National University of Singapore for providing help in tests on Gamry 600 Potentiostat. Funding Information: The authors thank the financial support from the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister's office, Singapore, under its NRF Investigatorship (NRF-NRFI2017-07). S.Z. and F.Z. thank the Chinese National Key R&D Program (2017YFE915500) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31371001). Y.C. and N.Z. are grateful for the supports from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the use of A*STAR Computational Resource Centre, Singapore (ACRC) and National Supercomputing Centre, Singapore (NSCC). P.L. and L.Y. thank the support by National Natural Science Foundation of China (62075189) and Zhejiang Lab (2018EB0ZX01). All the experimental protocols involving live animals were reviewed and approved by the IACUC of Zhejiang University (No. ZJU20200129). The authors thank Dr. Ai Lin Chun for giving critical comments on the manuscript. The authors also thank Prof. Jason, Yeo Boon Siang, and You Futian from National University of Singapore for providing help in tests on Gamry 600 Potentiostat. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH",
year = "2021",
month = aug,
day = "26",
doi = "10.1002/adma.202100221",
language = "English",
volume = "33",
journal = "Advanced Materials",
issn = "0935-9648",
publisher = "Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA",
number = "34",
}