title: Thiol-click chemistries for responsive neural interfaces.
abstract: Neural interfaces provide an electrical connection between computers and the nervous system: current penetrating devices are orders-of-magnitude stiffer than surrounding tissue. In this work, recent efforts in softening electronics and utilize thiol-ene and thiol-epoxy "click" reactions are built upon to incorporate fluid-sensitive hydrogen bonding into smart substrates for high electrode density neural interfaces. The modulus of these substrates drops more than two orders of magnitude in response to physiological conditions, despite fluid uptake of less than 6%, and can be tuned by the covalent crosslink density and degree of hydrogen bonding in the polymer network. Intracortical and intrafascicular electrode arrays are fabricated and characterized with impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Rd, Mailstop RL 3, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA.
authors.forename: Taylor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ware
authors.forename: Dustin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hearon
authors.forename: Tong H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Duncan J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Maitland
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Voit
mesh_terms: D000475:Alkenes / Q000737:chemistry; D000498:Allyl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D057930:Click Chemistry; D058266:Dielectric Spectroscopy; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D004852:Epoxy Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008839:Microelectrodes; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D014227:Triazines / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000475:Alkenes; D000498:Allyl Compounds; D004852:Epoxy Compounds; D011108:Polymers; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D014227:Triazines; C507611:triallyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-trione
keywords: mechanical properties; stimuli-sensitive polymers; structure-property relations; thermosets; thin films