Light-Triggered Adhesive Helps Neural Electrodes Stay Put, Then Release On Command
A light-responsive silicone adhesive lets flexible brain electrodes grip delicate tissue during recording and loosen when removal is needed. This material combines branched silicone networks with reversible iron-based coordination bonds, allowing it to adhere to metal surfaces with up to 310 N/m while conforming closely to complex neural tissue. Under ultraviolet (UV) light, adhesion on glass fell from about 65 N/m to below 10 N/m after 15 minutes. In separate tissue tests, 60 seconds of 365 nm UV light at 16.09 ± 0.09 mW/cm² enabled clean detachment from porcine muscle, porcine skull, and mouse brain. Long-term monitoring of chronic neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, can require neural interfaces capable of recording brain signals over extended periods. These devices must stay in close contact with brain tissue to accurately capture weak electrical signals. But existing…