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Materials design for resilience in the biointegration of electronics

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Abstract

Designing biointegrated electronics for resilience starts at the molecular level, whereby “molecular architecture” dictates function. The ability to predict how variations in molecular level features translate to bulk polymer properties is critical for realizing large-scale bulk applications and opening avenues for niche applications. Inspired by architectural resilient design principles, this article reviews analogous principles for materials used in biointegrated electronics, including strategies to address mechanical mismatch, fouling, improper adhesion, and degradation within biological systems. Moreover, innovations in artificial intelligence and automation that will play an important role in elucidating new material design principles and their practical large-scale construction are discussed. Finally, alternative avenues for simplifying the production of future biointegrated electronics are proposed, such as using self-assembly processes that draw inspiration from biology to construct devices in vivo.

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Figure 1
Figure 2

© 2018 American Chemical Society. (d) Illustration of conjugation break spacers (i.e., flexible linkers) being introduced between conjugated units to improve ductility. (e) Chemical structures of alkyl and ionic side chains that can be used to impact solubility and ductility.

Figure 3

© 2020 and 2019 Wiley. (b) Surface chemistry can be manipulated to improve biocompatibility by including antifouling, adhesive, and/or mixed conduction moieties into polymers. Reprinted with permission from Reference 22. © 2020 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; References 23 and 33. © 2020 and 2013 Springer Nature. (c) Devices can be removed in vivo by designing polymers with degradable and/or bioresorbable linkers. Reprinted with permission from References 20 and 48. © 2015 and 2018 Springer Nature. PDMS, poly(dimethylsiloxane); PU, polyurethane.

Figure 4

© 2019 American Chemical Society), (c) Machine learning-based models for polymer repurposing and design (Adapted with permission from Reference 54. © 2020 Royal Society of Chemistry), and (d) automated synthesis and experimental validation of properties. Adapted with permission from Reference 52. © 2020 AAAS.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), RGPIN-2021-03554. A.U. thanks the University of Toronto for the Faculty of Arts & Science Top (FAST) Doctoral Fellowship. We also gratefully acknowledge the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto for their support.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Angela Lin, Azalea Uva, Jon Babi & Helen Tran

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Helen Tran

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  2. Azalea Uva
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Angela Lin, Azalea Uva and Jon Babi are co-first authors.

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Lin, A., Uva, A., Babi, J. et al. Materials design for resilience in the biointegration of electronics. MRS Bulletin 46, 860–869 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43577-021-00174-5

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