Flexible and Stretchable Electronics: Substrates, Sensors, and Systems

Dear Colleagues,

The recent explosion in interest in flexible, stretchable bio-electronic devices is motivated not only by the dynamic properties of human tissues, but also the need for new medical diagnostics/treatments and less-invasive surgeries. Technological progress in the field is driven from several fronts: advancements in material science in stretchable substrates and conductors, nonhermetic polymer-based device encapsulation, and heterogeneous integration enabling traditional silicon-based electronics to robustly bond with stretchable electronic systems. Moreover, significant progress is happening on the clinical and biological fronts, for example, producing new surgical tools for flexible implants, demonstrating new treatments and sensor modalities, and determining the stability and durability of flexible devices in vivo. While the field of flexible and stretchable bio-electronics continues to expand through component-level breakthroughs, as the field has matured, flexible sensors are now translating into human trials and poised to change healthcare.

The aim of this Special Issue is to gather high-quality articles that capture the current state-of-the-art technology both at the component and the system level in flexible or stretchable devices for biological applications. Articles may review emerging applications or technology platforms, or report significant technological developments or in vitro/in vivo demonstrations. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Flexible and/or stretchable sensors for clinical or biological applications;
• Sensor arrays for neuromodulation, recording, or tissue monitoring;
• Skin interface materials for the stimulation or detection of bio-markers;
• In vivo demonstration of wired or wireless flexible electronic devices;
• Instrumented flexible surgical tools or surgical tools for deploying flexible bio-electronic devices;
• Flexible sensor interface circuitry and flexible antennas for wireless power transfer or implant communication;
• Heterogenous microsystem integration strategies for merging microelectronics, sensors, and/or stretchable substrates;
• Biocompatible device encapsulation materials and strategies to enable robust, on-skin or in vivo performance of flexible and stretchable bio-electronics.

Dr. Steve Majerus
Guest Editor

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• flexible and stretchable bio-electronics
• implanted sensors
• flexible electronic substrates
• skin interface materials
• sensor arrays
• heterogenous materials and microsystem integration