Biocompatible Electrical and Optical Interfaces for Implantable Sensors and Devices.

Implantable bioelectronics hold tremendous potential in the field of healthcare, yet the performance of these systems heavily relies on the interfaces between artificial machines and living tissues. In this paper, we discuss the recent developments of tethered interfaces, as well as those of non-tethered interfaces. Among them, systems that study neural activity receive significant attention due to their innovative developments and high relevance in contemporary research, but other functional types of interface systems are also explored to provide a comprehensive overview of the field. We also analyze the key considerations, including perforation site selection, fixing strategies, long-term retention, and wireless communication, highlighting the challenges and opportunities with stable, effective, and biocompatible interfaces. Furthermore, we propose a primitive model of biocompatible electrical and optical interfaces for implantable systems, which simultaneously possesses biocompatibility, stability, and convenience. Finally, we point out the future directions of interfacing strategies.

Multifunctional Freestanding Microprobes for Potential Biological Applications.

Deep-level sensors for detecting the local temperatures of inner organs and tissues of an animal are rarely reported. In this paper, we present a method to fabricate multifunctional micro-probes with standard cleanroom procedures, using a piece of stainless-steel foil as the substrate. On each of the as-fabricated micro-probes, arrays of thermocouples made of Pd-Cr thin-film stripes with reliable thermal sensing functions were built, together with Pd electrode openings for detecting electrical signals. The as-fabricated sword-shaped freestanding microprobes with length up to 30 mm showed excellent mechanical strength and elastic properties when they were inserted into the brain and muscle tissues of live rats, as well as suitable electrochemical properties and, therefore, are promising for potential biological applications.

Room temperature synthesis of K2Mo3O10x3H2O nanowires in minutes.

Polyoxometalates have been widely used in the fields of catalysis, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, medicine and synthesis of novel organic-inorganic materials. It is difficult to synthesize pure polymolybdate products from a solution because several kinds of molybdenum-based anions may coexist. As a result, varied acidification methods are commonly used for solution synthesis of polymolybdates. In this paper we report an approach for the synthesis of [001]-oriented K(2)Mo(3)O(10)x3H(2)O nanowires from an aqueous solution of (NH(4))(6)Mo(7)O(24)x4H(2)O and KCl at low temperatures. The reaction occurs even at temperatures as low as 0 degrees C, and at 30-90 degrees C the whole procedure needs only a few minutes. Without any additional acidification treatments, the pH value of the solution is maintained in a narrow range of +/- 0.1 between 4.9 and 5.5 during the whole synthesis procedure. The starting pH depends on the reaction temperature. Crystalline structure and purity of the final products have been characterized with x-ray diffraction, electron diffraction and dehydration measurements. This simple and rapid method provides a unique case for studying the growth mechanism of polymolybdate nanostructures, and has a promising potential in the mass production of low-cost, pure-phase polymolybdates for a variety of applications.