title: Flexible and Stretchable Microneedle Patches with Integrated Rigid Stainless Steel Microneedles for Transdermal Biointerfacing.
abstract: This paper demonstrates flexible and stretchable microneedle patches that combine soft and flexible base substrates with hard and sharp stainless steel microneedles. An elastomeric polymer base enables conformal contact between the microneedle patch and the complex topography and texture of the underlying skin, while robust and sharp stainless steel microneedles reliably pierce the outer layers of the skin. The flexible microneedle patches have been realized by magnetically assembling short stainless steel microneedles into a flexible polymer supporting base. In our experimental investigation, the microneedle patches were applied to human skin and an excellent adaptation of the patch to the wrinkles and deformations of the skin was verified, while at the same time the microneedles reliably penetrate the surface of the skin. The unobtrusive flexible and stretchable microneedle patches have great potential for transdermal biointerfacing in a variety of emerging applications such as transdermal drug delivery, bioelectric treatments and wearable bio-electronics for health and fitness monitoring.
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Micro and Nanosystems, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rajabi
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Micro and Nanosystems, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Niclas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roxhed
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Micro and Nanosystems, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Reza Zandi
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Shafagh
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Micro and Nanosystems, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tommy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haraldson
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Micro and Nanosystems, Stockholm, Sweden.|Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas Christin
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Micro and Nanosystems, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Wouter van der
authors.initials: WV
authors.lastname: Wijngaart
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Micro and Nanosystems, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stemme
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Micro and Nanosystems, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Niklaus
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000328:Adult; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D008845:Microinjections / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D009339:Needles; D011108:Polymers / Q000378:metabolism; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism; D013193:Stainless Steel; D013499:Surface Properties; D057968:Transdermal Patch
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers; D013193:Stainless Steel