journal article·2025-12-22Open access

Injectable eutectogel for high-quality scalp electroencephalogram monitoring

Yuli Wang, Zonglei Wang, Junhong Yi, Shihong Lin, Wenqing Yan, Jiawei Yang, Qingyuan Sun, Jian Luo, Yujie Zhang, Pengcheng Zhou, Zongman Zhang, Zichong Ji, Meiqiong Zheng, Leqi Li, Xinyuan Ye, Hossam Haick, Yan Wang

npj Flexible Electronics· Volume 9· Issue 1

Abstract

Hydrogels emerge as a promising electrode material for scalp electroencephalogram monitoring, which stands as a pivotal technique in neuroscience, enabling real-time monitoring of brain activity. However, conventional hydrogel-enabled electrodes suffer from low scalp compliance, high scalp-electrode impedance, and inferior interfacial stability. Here, we propose an injectable eutectogel-enabled electrode for high-quality, long-term scalp electroencephalogram monitoring. This gelatin-based eutectogel exhibits temperature-controlled reversible phase transitions, enabling rapid in-situ gelation on the scalp and forming a robust self-adhesive interface. It demonstrates exceptional mechanical durability (1000 cycles at 100% strain), robust adhesion (0.7 N cm −1 on human epidermis and 1.7 N cm −1 on Ag/AgCl electrode), and outstanding anti-drying properties (negligible water loss after 7 days). Additionally, the eutectogel shows superior healing properties, antibacterial properties, and recyclability. Furthermore, it exhibits remarkably low scalp-electrode contact impedance (<20 kΩ at 16 Hz). The eutectogel is injected on the human scalp with dense hair for high-fidelity electroencephalogram recording, enabling long-term monitoring. Its practical applications include monitoring visual evoked potentials, steady-state visual evoked potentials, somatosensory evoked potentials, slow vertex response, auditory brainstem response, multi-channel cognitive electroencephalogram during various daily activities, and event-related potentials P300 signals. The eutectogel-enabled electrode provides a versatile and reliable solution for long-term electroencephalogram monitoring in diverse clinical and research settings.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Neuroscience and Neural Engineering · Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Conducting polymers and applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

References (61)

Show source-provided references
1. Gramann, K., Ferris, D. P., Gwin, J. & Makeig, S. Imaging natural cognition in action. Int. J. Psychophysiol. 91, 22–29 (2014).10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.09.003 ↗
2. Daly, J. J. & Wolpaw, J. R. Brain–computer interfaces in neurological rehabilitation. Lancet Neurol. 7, 1032–1043 (2008).10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70223-0 ↗
3. Thompson, T., Steffert, T., Ros, T., Leach, J. & Gruzelier, J. EEG applications for sport and performance. Methods 45, 279–288 (2008).10.1016/j.ymeth.2008.07.006 ↗
4. Michel, V., Mazzola, L., Lemesle, M. & Vercueil, L. Long-term EEG in adults: sleep-deprived EEG (SDE), ambulatory EEG (Amb-EEG) and long-term video-EEG recording (LTVER). Neurophysiol. Clin. 45, 47–64 (2015).10.1016/j.neucli.2014.11.004 ↗
5. De Vos, M. & Debener, S. Mobile EEG: towards brain activity monitoring during natural action and cognition. Int. J. Psychophysiol. 91, 1–2 (2014).10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.10.008 ↗
6. Wang, C. et al. On-skin paintable biogel for long-term high-fidelity electroencephalogram recording. Sci. Adv. 8, eabo1396 (2022).10.1126/sciadv.abo1396 ↗
7. Zheng, K. et al. Machine learning enabled reusable adhesion, entangled network-based hydrogel for long-term, high-fidelity EEG recording and attention assessment. Nano Micro Lett. 17, 281 (2025).10.1007/s40820-025-01780-7 ↗
8. Vanhatalo, S., Alnajjar, A., Nguyen, V. T., Colditz, P. & Fransson, P. Safety of EEG–fMRI recordings in newborn infants at 3T: a study using a baby-size phantom. Clin. Neurophysiol. 125, 941–946 (2014).10.1016/j.clinph.2013.09.041 ↗
9. Walls-Esquivel, E., Vecchierini, M. F., Héberlé, C. & Wallois, F. Electroencephalography (EEG) recording techniques and artefact detection in early premature babies. Neurophysiol. Clin. 37, 299–309 (2007).10.1016/j.neucli.2007.09.001 ↗
10. Awal, M. A., Lai, M. M., Azemi, G., Boashash, B. & Colditz, P. B. EEG background features that predict outcome in term neonates with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy: a structured review. Clin. Neurophysiol. 127, 285–296 (2016).10.1016/j.clinph.2015.05.018 ↗
11. Yang, Y. et al. Breathable electronic skins for daily physiological signal monitoring. Nano Micro Lett. 14, 161 (2022).10.1007/s40820-022-00911-8 ↗
12. Li, G.-L., Wu, J.-T., Xia, Y.-H., He, Q.-G. & Jin, H.-G. Review of semi-dry electrodes for EEG recording. J. Neural Eng. 17, 051004 (2020).10.1088/1741-2552/abbd50 ↗
13. Pedrosa, P. et al. Alginate-based hydrogels as an alternative to electrolytic gels for rapid EEG monitoring and easy cleaning procedures. Sens. Actuators B: Chem. 247, 273–283 (2017).10.1016/j.snb.2017.02.164 ↗
14. Xu, P. et al. Conductive and elastic bottlebrush elastomers for ultrasoft electronics. Nat. Commun. 14, 623 (2023).10.1038/s41467-023-36214-8 ↗
15. Wang, F. et al. 3D Printed implantable hydrogel bioelectronics for electrophysiological monitoring and electrical modulation. Adv. Funct. Mater. 34, 2314471 (2024).10.1002/adfm.202314471 ↗
16. Li, T., Qi, H., Dong, X., Li, G. & Zhai, W. Highly robust conductive organo-hydrogels with powerful sensing capabilities under large mechanical stress. Adv. Mater. 36, 2304145 (2024).10.1002/adma.202304145 ↗
17. Zhao, Y. et al. A self-healing electrically conductive organogel composite. Nat. Electron. 6, 206–215 (2023).10.1038/s41928-023-00932-0 ↗
18. Li, G., Wang, S., Li, M. & Duan, Y. Y. Towards real-life EEG applications: novel superporous hydrogel-based semi-dry EEG electrodes enabling automatically ‘charge–discharge’ electrolyte. J. Neural Eng. 18, 046016 (2021).10.1088/1741-2552/abeeab ↗
19. Alba, N. A., Sclabassi, R. J., Sun, M. & Cui, X. T. Novel hydrogel-based preparation-free EEG electrode. IEEE Trans. Neural Syst. Rehabil. Eng. 18, 415–423 (2010).10.1109/TNSRE.2010.2048579 ↗
20. Yuk, H., Lu, B. & Zhao, X. Hydrogel bioelectronics. Chem. Soc. Rev. 48, 1642–1667 (2019).10.1039/C8CS00595H ↗
21. Mo, F., Zhou, P., Lin, S., Zhong, J. & Wang, Y. A review of conductive hydrogel-based wearable temperature sensors. Adv. Healthc. Mater. 13, 2401503 (2024).10.1002/adhm.202401503 ↗
22. Luo, J. et al. MXene-enabled self-adaptive hydrogel interface for active electroencephalogram interactions. ACS Nano. 16, 19373–19384 (2022).10.1021/acsnano.2c08961 ↗
23. Fan, Y., Deng, C., Cheng, R., Meng, F. & Zhong, Z. In situ forming hydrogels via catalyst-free and bioorthogonal “tetrazole–alkene” photo-click chemistry. Biomacromol. 14, 2814–2821 (2013).10.1021/bm400637s ↗
24. Li, L. et al. Paintable, fast gelation, highly adhesive hydrogels for high-fidelity electrophysiological monitoring wirelessly. Small 21, 2407996 (2024).10.1002/smll.202407996 ↗
25. Huang, Y. J., Wu, C. Y., Wong, A. M. K. & Lin, B. S. Novel active comb-shaped dry electrode for EEG measurement in hairy site. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 62, 256–263 (2015).10.1109/TBME.2014.2347318 ↗
26. Norton, J. J. S. et al. Soft, curved electrode systems capable of integration on the auricle as a persistent brain–computer interface. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 112, 3920–3925 (2015).10.1073/pnas.1424875112 ↗
27. Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Guan, Y. & Zhang, Y. Peptide-enhanced tough, resilient and adhesive eutectogels for highly reliable strain/pressure sensing under extreme conditions. Nat. Commun. 13, 6671 (2022).10.1038/s41467-022-34522-z ↗
28. Owyeung, R., Zeng, W. & Sonkusale, S. Eutectogel electrodes for long-term biosignal monitoring. In 2022 IEEE Sens (IEEE, 2022).10.1109/SENSORS52175.2022.9967321 ↗
29. Zhong, Y. et al. Eutectogels as a semisolid electrolyte for organic electrochemical transistors. Chem. Mater. 36, 1841–1854 (2024).10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c02385 ↗
30. Li, Y. et al. Fully degradable protein gels with superior mechanical properties and durability: regulation of hydrogen bond donors. Adv. Mater. 37, 2506577 (2025).10.1002/adma.202506577 ↗
31. Luo, J. et al. On-skin paintable water-resistant biohydrogel for wearable bioelectronics. Adv. Funct. Mater. 34, 2400884 (2024).10.1002/adfm.202400884 ↗
32. Yang, Z. et al. An on-skin-formed silk protein bioelectrode for conformable and robust electrophysiological interface. Adv. Funct. Mater. 34, 2402608 (2024).10.1002/adfm.202402608 ↗
33. Chen, J. X. M. et al. Conductive bio-based hydrogel for wearable electrodes via direct ink writing on skin. Adv. Funct. Mater. 34, 2403721 (2024).10.1002/adfm.202403721 ↗
34. Lan, L. et al. Skin-inspired all-natural biogel for bioadhesive interface. Adv. Mater. 36, 2401151 (2024).10.1002/adma.202401151 ↗
35. Hsieh, J.-C. et al. Design of an injectable, self-adhesive, and highly stable hydrogel electrode for sleep recording. Device 2, 100182 (2024).10.1016/j.device.2023.100182 ↗
36. Niu, W., Tian, Q., Liu, Z. & Liu, X. Solvent-free and fkin-like supramolecular ion-conductive elastomers with versatile processability for multifunctional ionic tattoos and on-skin bioelectronics. Adv. Mater. 35, 2304157 (2023).10.1002/adma.202304157 ↗
37. Kishore, R. A., Nozariasbmarz, A., Poudel, B., Sanghadasa, M. & Priya, S. Ultra-high performance wearable thermoelectric coolers with less materials. Nat. Commun. 10, 1765 (2019).10.1038/s41467-019-09707-8 ↗
38. Baumgartner, M. et al. Resilient yet entirely degradable gelatin-based biogels for soft robots and electronics. Nat. Mater. 19, 1102–1109 (2020).10.1038/s41563-020-0699-3 ↗
39. Chen, Y. et al. Gelatin-based metamaterial hydrogel films with high conformality for ultra-soft tissue monitoring. Nano-Micro Lett. 16, 34 (2023).10.1007/s40820-023-01225-z ↗
40. Han, L. et al. Mussel-inspired adhesive and conductive hydrogel with long-lasting moisture and extreme temperature tolerance. Adv. Funct. Mater. 28, 1704195 (2018).10.1002/adfm.201704195 ↗
41. Jin, Q. et al. Quadruple H-bonding and polyrotaxanes dual cross-linking supramolecular elastomer for high toughness and self-healing conductors. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 62, e202305282 (2023).10.1002/anie.202305282 ↗
42. Parker, N. G. & Povey, M. J. W. Ultrasonic study of the gelation of gelatin: phase diagram, hysteresis and kinetics. Food Hydrocoll. 26, 99–107 (2012).10.1016/j.foodhyd.2011.04.016 ↗
43. Hoang Thi, T. T. et al. Supramolecular cyclodextrin supplements to improve the tissue adhesion strength of gelatin bioglues. ACS Macro Lett. 6, 83–88 (2017).10.1021/acsmacrolett.6b00841 ↗
44. Li, X. et al. Body temperature-triggered adhesive ionic conductive hydrogels for bioelectrical signal monitoring. Chem. Eng. J. 498, 155195 (2024).10.1016/j.cej.2024.155195 ↗
45. Moufawad, T. et al. First evidence of cyclodextrin inclusion complexes in a deep eutectic solvent. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 7, 6345–6351 (2019).10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b00044 ↗
46. Dong, J. et al. Viscoelastic adhesive, super-conformable, and semi-flowable liquid metal eutectogels for high-fidelity electrophysiological monitoring. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 16, 34732–34742 (2024).10.1021/acsami.4c06728 ↗
47. Li, T. et al. Robust skin-integrated conductive biogel for high-fidelity detection under mechanical stress. Nat. Commun. 16, 88 (2025).10.1038/s41467-024-55417-1 ↗
48. Han, Q. et al. Hydrogel nanoarchitectonics of a flexible and self-adhesive electrode for long-term wireless electroencephalogram recording and high-accuracy sustained attention evaluation. Adv. Mater. 35, 2209606 (2023).10.1002/adma.202209606 ↗
49. Scalco de Vasconcelos, L. et al. On-scalp printing of personalized electroencephalography e-tattoos. Cell Biomater. 1, 100004 (2025).10.1016/j.celbio.2024.100004 ↗
50. Rakowska, M., Abdellahi, M. E. A., Bagrowska, P., Navarrete, M. & Lewis, P. A. Long term effects of cueing procedural memory reactivation during NREM sleep. Neuroimage 244, 118573 (2021).10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118573 ↗
51. Sajidah, H., Khairunnisa, S. & Nabila, C. The effect of relaxing a deep breath on anxiety levels. KESANS Int. J. Health Sci. 1, 88–95 (2021).10.54543/kesans.v1i2.15 ↗
52. Anusha, A. S. et al. Brain-scale theta band functional connectome as signature of slow breathing and breath-hold phases. Comput. Biol. Med. 184, 109435 (2025).10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.109435 ↗
53. Klimesch, W. et al. Alpha and beta band power changes in normal and dyslexic children. Clin. Neurophysiol. 112, 1186–1195 (2001).10.1016/S1388-2457(01)00543-0 ↗
54. Vitu, F., Kapoula, Z., Lancelin, D. & Lavigne, F. Eye movements in reading isolated words: evidence for strong biases towards the center of the screen. Vis. Res. 44, 321–338 (2004).10.1016/j.visres.2003.06.002 ↗
55. Ding, Y., Hu, X., Xia, Z., Liu, Y. J. & Zhang, D. Inter-Brain EEG feature extraction and analysis for continuous implicit emotion tagging during video watching. IEEE Trans. Affect. Comput. 12, 92–102 (2021).10.1109/TAFFC.2018.2849758 ↗
56. Walker, J. L. Changes in EEG rhythms during television viewing: preliminary comparisons with reading and other tasks. Percept. Mot. Skills 51, 255–261 (1980).10.2466/pms.1980.51.1.255 ↗
57. Pfurtscheller, G. & Lopes da Silva, F. H. Event-related EEG/MEG synchronization and desynchronization: basic principles. Clin. Neurophysiol. 110, 1842–1857 (1999).10.1016/S1388-2457(99)00141-8 ↗
58. Wagner, J. et al. Level of participation in robotic-assisted treadmill walking modulates midline sensorimotor EEG rhythms in able-bodied subjects. NeuroImage 63, 1203–1211 (2012).10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.08.019 ↗
59. Van Son, D. et al. Frontal EEG theta/beta ratio during mind wandering episodes. Biol. Psychol. 140, 19–27 (2019).10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.11.003 ↗
60. Huh, H. et al. A wireless forehead e-tattoo for mental workload estimation. Device 3, 100781 (2025).10.1016/j.device.2025.100781 ↗
61. Ngoc, N. N., Nguyen, C. D. & Duc, T. V. Visualizing brain signals in mental calculation by using Electroencephalography Topographic Map Animation with Independent component analysis perspectives. J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 2949, 012013 (2025).10.1088/1742-6596/2949/1/012013 ↗