Tunable Hydrogel Electronics for Diagnosis of Peripheral Neuropathy

Abstract

Peripheral neuropathy characterized by rapidly increasing numbers of patients is commonly diagnosed via analyzing electromyography signals obtained from stimulation-recording devices. However, existing commercial electrodes have difficulty in implementing conformal contact with skin and gentle detachment, dramatically impairing stimulation/recording performances. Here, this work develops on-skin patches with polyaspartic acid-modified dopamine/ethyl-based ionic liquid hydrogel (PDEH) as stimulation/recording devices to capture electromyography signals for the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy. Triggered by a one-step electric field treatment, the hydrogel achieves rapid and wide-range regulation of adhesion and substantially strengthened mechanical performances. Moreover, hydrogel patches assembled with a silver-liquid metal (SLM) layer exhibit superior charge injection and low contact impedance, capable of capturing high-fidelity electromyography. This work further verifies the feasibility of hydrogel devices for accurate diagnoses of peripheral neuropathy in sensory, motor, and mixed nerves. For various body parts, such as fingers, the elderly's loose skin, hairy skin, and children's fragile skin, this work regulates the adhesion of PDEH-SLM devices to establish intimate device/skin interfaces or ensure benign removal. Noticeably, hydrogel patches achieve precise diagnoses of nerve injuries in these clinical cases while providing extra advantages of more effective stimulation/recording performances. These patches offer a promising alternative for the diagnosis and rehabilitation of neuropathy in future.