This photo shows Adrivit Mukherjee, first author of the article on the conductive hydrogel, at work in the laboratory. Credit: Ronald Zijlstra
University of Groningen scientists have developed a novel soft polymer conductive hydrogel which thanks to being both soft and flexible, could be more compatible for bioelectronics used in sensitive tissue.
Described in the journal Materials Today Chemistry, the conductive gel is constructed by coating a porous hydrogel with polypyrrole, a conductive polymer. To ensure the gel remains soft and flexible, the team use an ultrathin layer of the polymer. Lab tests demonstrated that the resulted coated gel is compatible with neural cells, presenting a promising new platform for implantable, biocompatible bioelectronics.
In addition to its promising neural potential, the gel could prove useful for other applications such as next-generation bioelectronics and soft robotic devices.
The team intend to expand their approach and develop additional novel sensors for health monitoring applications.