Functional Hydrogels for Wearable and Implantable Neural Interfaces: Materials, Properties, and Applications.
- 1Department of Artificial Intelligence and Biomedical Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon-si 14662, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
- 2Department of Biomedical Software Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon-si 14662, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
Functional hydrogels are increasingly used in neural interfaces. As hydrophilic polymer networks that combine tissue-like softness with tunable conductivity and adhesion, they relieve two fundamental limitations of rigid conventional electrodes within a single material: the mechanical mismatch that drives the chronic foreign body response, and the electrical mismatch that raises interfacial impedance. This review discusses functional hydrogels through their core interfacial properties of biocompatibility, adhesion, and interfacial impedance/conductivity, and highlights how these requirements differ between skin-mounted wearable and implantable devices. Their applications in neural recording, electrical and ultrasound neuromodulation, and external and robotic device control are then covered in detail. Finally, the key challenges and future opportunities are summarized, including gelation control, long-term in vivo stability, integration with robotic hardware, and clinical translation. As the field advances, functional hydrogels are poised to become a core platform for next-generation neural interfaces.
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BibTeX
@article{kim2026functional,
title = {{Functional Hydrogels for Wearable and Implantable Neural Interfaces: Materials, Properties, and Applications.}},
author = {Joowan Kim and Jaewoo Park and Yeojin Lee and Goeun Kim and Yunsu Shin and Seoyun Eom and Jinmo Jeong},
journal = {Gels (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/gels12100875},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929910},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Functional Hydrogels for Wearable and Implantable Neural Interfaces: Materials, Properties, and Applications.
AU - Joowan Kim
AU - Jaewoo Park
AU - Yeojin Lee
AU - Goeun Kim
AU - Yunsu Shin
AU - Seoyun Eom
AU - Jinmo Jeong
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/gels12100875
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929910
AB - Functional hydrogels are increasingly used in neural interfaces. As hydrophilic polymer networks that combine tissue-like softness with tunable conductivity and adhesion, they relieve two fundamental limitations of rigid conventional electrodes within a single material: the mechanical mismatch that drives the chronic foreign body response, and the electrical mismatch that raises interfacial impedance. This review discusses functional hydrogels through their core interfacial properties of biocompatibility, adhesion, and interfacial impedance/conductivity, and highlights how these requirements differ between skin-mounted wearable and implantable devices. Their applications in neural recording, electrical and ultrasound neuromodulation, and external and robotic device control are then covered in detail. Finally, the key challenges and future opportunities are summarized, including gelation control, long-term in vivo stability, integration with robotic hardware, and clinical translation. As the field advances, functional hydrogels are poised to become a core platform for next-generation neural interfaces.
SN - 2310-2861
ER -