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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Polymers

The Development and Evolution of Substrate Materials for Brain–Computer Interfaces

  • Jiujiang Ji1
  • Yidan Gao2
  • Juan Liu3
  • Mei Tian2
  • Yen Wei1,4,5
5 affiliations
  1. 1The Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
  2. 2State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Human Phenome Institute, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
  3. 3School of Future Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100102, China
  4. 4School of Materials Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, China
  5. 5Department of Chemistry and Center for Nanotechnology, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chung Li District, Taoyuan 32023, Taiwan
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Abstract

Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCIs) hold tremendous potential for neurological therapeutics and neuroprosthetics; however, their long-term clinical viability is fundamentally limited by chronic interfacial failure. This failure originates from the profound biomechanical mismatch between synthetic microelectrodes and ultra-soft brain tissue, which inevitably triggers persistent mechanical trauma, severe foreign body response (FBR), and insulating glial scarring. In this review, we systematically trace the material and structural evolution of implantable neural interfaces designed to bridge this critical gap. We detail the chronological paradigm shift from rigid inorganic substrates (e.g., silicon) to flexible yet inextensible polymers (e.g., Polyimide, SU-8) for conformal mapping, and subsequently to intrinsically stretchable elastomers (e.g., polydimethylsiloxane polyurethane) that effectively absorb dynamic physiological micro-shear forces. Most importantly, we highlight the emerging frontier of electrospun nanofibrous microelectrodes. By uniquely combining macroscopic tissue-level stretchability with an interconnected, highly permeable 3D topography that mimics the native extracellular matrix (ECM), these biomimetic scaffolds successfully overcome the metabolic limitations of dense elastomeric films. Finally, we discuss current challenges and future perspectives, ranging from scalable high-density manufacturing and active biochemical modulation to fully untethered integration, charting a comprehensive roadmap for next-generation, chronically stable neural interfaces.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ji2026development,
  title = {{The Development and Evolution of Substrate Materials for Brain–Computer Interfaces}},
  author = {Jiujiang Ji and Yidan Gao and Juan Liu and Mei Tian and Yen Wei},
  journal = {Polymers},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/polym18202569},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/20/2569},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - The Development and Evolution of Substrate Materials for Brain–Computer Interfaces
AU  - Jiujiang Ji
AU  - Yidan Gao
AU  - Juan Liu
AU  - Mei Tian
AU  - Yen Wei
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - Polymers
DO  - 10.3390/polym18202569
UR  - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/20/2569
AB  - Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCIs) hold tremendous potential for neurological therapeutics and neuroprosthetics; however, their long-term clinical viability is fundamentally limited by chronic interfacial failure. This failure originates from the profound biomechanical mismatch between synthetic microelectrodes and ultra-soft brain tissue, which inevitably triggers persistent mechanical trauma, severe foreign body response (FBR), and insulating glial scarring. In this review, we systematically trace the material and structural evolution of implantable neural interfaces designed to bridge this critical gap. We detail the chronological paradigm shift from rigid inorganic substrates (e.g., silicon) to flexible yet inextensible polymers (e.g., Polyimide, SU-8) for conformal mapping, and subsequently to intrinsically stretchable elastomers (e.g., polydimethylsiloxane polyurethane) that effectively absorb dynamic physiological micro-shear forces. Most importantly, we highlight the emerging frontier of electrospun nanofibrous microelectrodes. By uniquely combining macroscopic tissue-level stretchability with an interconnected, highly permeable 3D topography that mimics the native extracellular matrix (ECM), these biomimetic scaffolds successfully overcome the metabolic limitations of dense elastomeric films. Finally, we discuss current challenges and future perspectives, ranging from scalable high-density manufacturing and active biochemical modulation to fully untethered integration, charting a comprehensive roadmap for next-generation, chronically stable neural interfaces.
SN  - 2073-4360
ER  -