Sustainable and imperceptible augmentation of living structures with
organic bioelectronic fibres
Abstract
Functional and sensory augmentation of living structures, such as the
human skin and plant epidermis, offers vast opportunities for
biology-machine interface, wearable health, and environmental
monitoring. However, current sensor and electronic formats could be
obstructive to their hosts’ inherent sensations or physiological
changes. Challenges are also faced in widening the augmentation of
living structures without drastically increasing the global
environmental and ecological burdens. Here, we demonstrate imperceptibly
augmented living systems, through in situ tethering of poly
(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) : polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)-based
organic bioelectronic fibres. Customising fibre tether patterns and
modalities enable applications from biopotential acquisition and
skin-gated organic electrochemical transistors, to augmented touch and
plant interfaces. The open networks formed by the intrinsically
substrate-free fibres provide a biomorphic interface, while supporting
direct coupling with microelectronics and e-textiles. We further
demonstrate conceptual fibre formats for on-demand device repair,
upgrade, and recycle, or for enhancing electromechanical stability
against touch. Our work may unfold wearable technologies that are
simultaneously biologically-adaptable and sustainable.