title: Hydrolytically Stable Thiol-ene Networks for Flexible Bioelectronics.
abstract: Hydrolytically stable, tunable modulus polymer networks are demonstrated to survive harsh alkaline environments and offer promise for use in long-term implantable bioelectronic medicines known as electroceuticals. Today's polymer networks (such as polyimides or polysiloxanes) succeed in providing either stiff or soft substrates for bioelectronics devices; however, the capability to significantly tune the modulus of such materials is lacking. Within the space of materials with easily modified elastic moduli, thiol-ene copolymers are a subset of materials that offer a promising solution to build next generation flexible bioelectronics but have typically been susceptible to hydrolytic degradation chronically. In this inquiry, we demonstrate a materials space capable of tuning the substrate modulus and explore the mechanical behavior of such networks. Furthermore, we fabricate an array of microelectrodes that can withstand accelerated aging environments shown to destroy conventional flexible bioelectronics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, ‡Department of Chemistry, §Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and ∥Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas , 800 West Campbell Road, Mailstop RL 10, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.
authors.forename: Radu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reit
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, ‡Department of Chemistry, §Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and ∥Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas , 800 West Campbell Road, Mailstop RL 10, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zamorano
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, ‡Department of Chemistry, §Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and ∥Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas , 800 West Campbell Road, Mailstop RL 10, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.
authors.forename: Shelbi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, ‡Department of Chemistry, §Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and ∥Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas , 800 West Campbell Road, Mailstop RL 10, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.
authors.forename: Dustin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, ‡Department of Chemistry, §Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and ∥Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas , 800 West Campbell Road, Mailstop RL 10, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lund
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, ‡Department of Chemistry, §Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and ∥Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas , 800 West Campbell Road, Mailstop RL 10, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Voit
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, ‡Department of Chemistry, §Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and ∥Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas , 800 West Campbell Road, Mailstop RL 10, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.
authors.forename: Taylor H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Ware
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D004581:Electronics / Q000295:instrumentation; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007700:Kinetics; D008839:Microelectrodes; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012833:Siloxanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011108:Polymers; D012833:Siloxanes; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds
keywords: degradable; flexible bioelectronics; hydrolytic stability; thiol−ene; tunable modulus