Flexible and Stretchable Silicon Carbide Nanomembranes for Implantable Applications

Implantable devices such as pacemakers, cochlea implants, and deep brain stimulators are vital tools for the treatment of several chronic diseases. While commercial implantable systems are built on rigid substrates, recent efforts focus on transitioning these rigid systems into soft, stretchable forms that can mechanically conform to three-dimensional (3D), soft, and dynamic living tissues. Silicon carbide (SiC) has been explored as a promising material for long-term flexible bioelectronic interfaces. However, developing a highly stretchable and soft SiC electrode system remains a significant challenge. In this study, we utilized a compressive buckling technique and backside photolithography to fabricate a highly deformable and stretchable 3D bioelectronic interface composed of a multiple-nanoscale-thickness SiC electrode array. The 3D SiC platform offers several physical sensing capabilities, including temperature and impedance sensing suitable for invasive procedures and implant devices. Ex vivo heart pacing experiments on rabbit cardiac tissue highlight the potential of 3D, nanothin SiC as a mechanically stretchable and chemically stable electrode platform for delivering stimulation to highly deformable, dynamics organs.