|
|||||
|
|
Biodegradable Monocrystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Microcells as Power Supplies for Transient Biomedical Implants |
|
| Authors: | Luyao Lu Zijian Yang Kathleen Meacham Abraham Vázquez‐Guardado Mantian Xue Lan Yin Javaneh Boroumand Grace Pakeltis Tian Sang Ki Jun Yu Debashis Chanda Rashid Bashir Robert W Gereau IV Xing Sheng John A Rogers |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA;2. Center for Bio‐Integrated Electronics at the Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology, and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA;3. Washington University Pain Center, and Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA;4. CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics, and NanoScience Technology Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA;5. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China;6. School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;7. Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA;8. Department of Electronic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China;9. Center for Bio‐Integrated Electronics, Departments of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Neurological Surgery, Simpson Querrey Institute for Nano/Biotechnology, McCormick School of Engineering and Feinberg, School of Medicine Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA |
| Abstract: | Bioresorbable electronic materials serve as foundations for implantable devices that provide active diagnostic or therapeutic function over a timeframe matched to a biological process, and then disappear within the body to avoid secondary surgical extraction. Approaches to power supply in these physically transient systems are critically important. This paper describes a fully biodegradable, monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) platform based on microscale cells (microcells) designed to operate at wavelengths with long penetration depths in biological tissues (red and near infrared wavelengths), such that external illumination can provide realistic levels of power. Systematic characterization and theoretical simulations of operation under porcine skin and fat establish a foundational understanding of these systems and their scalability. In vivo studies of a representative platform capable of generating ≈60 µW of electrical power under 4 mm of porcine skin and fat illustrate an ability to operate blue light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) as subdermal implants in rats for 3 d. Here, the PV system fully resorbs after 4 months. Histological analysis reveals that the degradation process introduces no inflammatory responses in the surrounding tissues. The results suggest the potential for using silicon photovoltaic microcells as bioresorbable power supplies for various transient biomedical implants. |
| Keywords: | biodegradable in vivo powering medical implants solar cells transient electronics |