Science and Health | A drop of water "film"? Chinese scientists develop new technology of "droplet printing"
A is a brain full of grooves, seamlessly fitting a layer of electronic film thinner than hair. This science fiction-like scene has been turned into reality by Chinese scientists through "a drop of water".
The reporter learned from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences on the 12th that the international academic journal Science "Science" has published an achievement developed by the researcher Song Yanlin of the institute and a number of units. This new technology, called "droplet printing", can accurately attach ultra-thin, fragile electronic device membranes through the droplet medium to complex curved surfaces, especially biological tissue surfaces.
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Gentle post:
Avoid damage to films on biological tissue surfaces
In cutting-edge fields such as brain-computer interfaces, wearable devices, and neural repair, flexible electronic devices are often needed to fit irregular surfaces such as human skin, nerves and even the brain. This type of device is extremely thin in thickness and is easily damaged due to bending and stretching during bonding.
"This operation is like putting a film on a mobile phone, but the 'membrane' is softer and more brittle, and the 'screen' is more uneven - such as the troughs of the brain, slender nerves, etc.." The researchers metaphorically said that a drop of water just provides a "gentle" solution.
A drop of water is used as an intermediate medium, first "pick up" the ultra-thin film, and then release it to the target surface. During this period, the droplets exist between the film and the tissue, which not only promotes the bonding through capillary action, but also allows the film to slide freely like a "lubricant" to release stress in time, avoiding damage that may be caused by traditional operations.
Schematic diagram of research results. (Provided by the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences)
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Stable and accurate:
Good biocompatibility and operational safety
Experiments show that even gold films with a thickness of only 150 nanometers can be adhered intact to the micron-level paramecium surface through this technology, and even complex structures such as dandelion fluff, shell texture, and optical fiber have been successfully bonded.
What is even more surprising is that in the live experiment, the researchers "printed" silicon-based electron membranes onto the sciatic nerve and cerebral cortex of the mice, achieving a lossless and conformal fit. By light triggering, the device can convert the light signal into an electrical signal, successfully stimulate the nerve to trigger leg movement, and synchronize the clear neuroelectric signal.
The entire attachment process is completed only by "one drop of water", without applying pressure and no adhesive, and has good biocompatibility and operational safety.
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Broad prospects:
Bring new possibilities for electronic device preparation
This technology breaks the limitations of traditional flexible electronic device mounting, and has wide application potential in the fields of brain-computer interfaces, neural regulation, wearable devices, etc., and can even be expanded to cutting-edge directions such as tissue engineering and intelligent display.
">"Just as printing continues to promote the progress of human civilization, 'drop printing' is also expected to bring new possibilities for the preparation and fit of electronic devices." Researcher Song Yanlin said.
This means that in the future, we may be able to easily and accurately "print" various electronic devices on the skin, organs and even nerves like "film" - and all this starts with "a drop of water".
丨Source: Xinhuanet
丨Editor: Zhang Jingyu
丨Study reading: Yu Huimin
丨Audit: Wang Yilei
