journal article·2026-06-29Open access

A Printed Hydrogel Hybrid Electronic System With Thermoresponsive Adhesion for Neurophysiological Monitoring

Bo Pang, Ganguang Yang, Jiacheng Wen, Hangyu Gong, Caixin Gong, Yuqi Qiu, Zhixin Wang, Qingyang Zheng, Sen Zhou, Tianzhao Bu, Jia Tian, Zhouping Yin, Yutian Liu, Hao Wu

Abstract

ABSTRACT Neurological disorders severely impair the daily life of patients, necessitating precise assessments of neural conduction pathway damage to guide effective diagnosis and treatment. However, current clinical neurodiagnostic equipment is expensive, bulky, and restricted to hospital settings. Furthermore, the rigid nature and low adhesion of conventional electrodes lead to the acquisition of low‐quality neurophysiological signals. Here, we develop a soft hybrid electronic system assembled with printed responsive hydrogel electrodes. By synthesizing thermoresponsive hydrogel microsphere inks, we achieve rapid direct‐printed patterning of interface layers. Based on a thermally triggered hydration‐dehydration strategy of hydrogel microspheres, the hydrogel electrodes demonstrate customizable adhesion, enabling intimate integration with skin for high‐fidelity signal acquisition and gentle detachment after monitoring. Through hydrogel interface modification, on‐skin electrodes also show excellent charge injection capability for stimulation and improved signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). The integration of hydrogel patches with the hybrid electronic system enables high‐frequency and high‐fidelity acquisition of subtle neural conduction signals. We further apply this system to assess injuries to the median and ulnar nerves in clinical cases, realizing accurate diagnosis of neural impairment while ensuring customized adhesion regulation. This user‐friendly system holds great promise as a low‐cost and portable diagnostic platform for telemedicine, home‐based care, and clinical settings.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Neuroscience and Neural Engineering · Tactile and Sensory Interactions

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

Affiliations

Flexible Electronics Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, School of Mechanical Science and Engineering Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan China

Department of Hand Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan Hubei China

School of Integrated Circuits Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan Hubei China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

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