Biomimetic "Soft Electrode" Enables 6-Month Single-Neuron Tracking, Ushering in "Invisible Bridge" for Brain-Computer Interfaces
Release time:
2026-05-11
At the forefront of brain science, scientists have long dreamed of building a "bridge" between the human brain and machines—the implantable neural interface. However, this path has been plagued by a persistent challenge: immune rejection. When rigid traditional electrodes are implanted into the soft, tofu-like brain tissue, the sustained mechanical mismatch triggers a severe foreign body response, leading to neuronal death and a sharp decline in signal quality.
Recently, this challenge has seen a milestone breakthrough. A research team led by Professor Ting Zhang and Associate Professor Lianhui Li at the Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, published a paper in Matter, a leading international journal in materials science. They have successfully developed the world's first neuron-sized, all-hydrogel neural electrode array, achieving stable tracking of single-neuron action potentials for up to six months.
From "Invasion" to "Integration": A Conceptual Revolution in Biomimetic Design
The core idea of the research team is straightforward—since the problem stems from being "too rigid," they set out to make the electrodes "soft," even emulating real neurons.
Size biomimicry: A neuronal cell body is approximately 10–20 micrometers in diameter. The team precisely controlled the electrode diameter within the range of 0.94 to 20 micrometers, fundamentally reducing physical footprint and damage to tissue structure.
Mechanical biomimicry: Brain tissue is an ultra-soft material with very high water content, possessing a Young's modulus in the kilopascal (kPa) range. The new electrode, in its wet state, exhibits a modulus closely matching that of brain tissue, with extremely low bending stiffness. It can conformally adhere to the brain's pulsations, perfectly resolving the mechanical mismatch.
Biochemical biomimicry: The three-dimensional porous network structure of the all-hydrogel system resembles the extracellular matrix. Its high water content (>90%) provides channels for nutrient exchange, creating a friendly biochemical microenvironment.
Process Innovation: Overcoming a Global Challenge in Hydrogel Fabrication
Fabricating conductive hydrogels into sub-micrometer-scale fibers is a recognized challenge. Conventional methods often lead to fiber breakage or performance degradation. The team's novel "thermo-solvent-assisted stretching coupled with annealing" strategy applies a sophisticated "combination punch" to hydrogel fiber formation:
Introducing a thermo-solvent to adjust polymer chain mobility;
Applying precise tensile forces to guide highly oriented alignment of molecular chains;
Locking in the oriented structure and optimizing the conformation of conductive units through annealing.
This process not only pushes fiber diameters to their fabrication limits but also constructs efficient and stable charge conduction pathways at the molecular level, endowing the resulting "ultra-fine soft fibers" with both exceptional flexibility and outstanding electrical conductivity.
Six-Month Validation: Nearly "Invisible" and Long-Term Stable
The most exciting results come from animal experiments. After implanting a 16-channel all-hydrogel electrode array into the motor cortex of mice:
Histological analysis showed that 16 weeks post-implantation, there was almost no noticeable gliosis or immune cell activation around the electrodes, and the density of neurons remained normal, demonstrating极致 (exceptional) biocompatibility.
Electrophysiological recordings revealed that during chronic implantation lasting up to six months, the electrode consistently captured single-neuron action potentials with exceptionally high signal-to-noise ratios across various behavioral states, achieving long-term stable tracking of electrical activity from the same individual neurons. This performance is extremely rare, even among many traditional rigid electrode studies.
Outlook: The "Invisible Bridge" to Future Brain-Computer Interfaces
This research represents a comprehensive breakthrough, from biomimetic design concepts and materials fabrication processes to device integration performance. It points to a clear direction: the ideal electrode of the future should not be an "invader" that fights against tissue, but a "biomimetic partner" that symbiotically coexists with neurons.
The all-hydrogel electrode acts as an "invisible bridge" implanted in the brain, providing an unprecedented reliable tool for non-destructively reading the brain's neural code, precisely intervening in conditions like Parkinson's disease and epilepsy, and enabling future advanced brain-computer integration applications.
As this technology continues to mature, we are moving one step closer to an era of safe, long-term, high-fidelity human-computer interaction.
Previous article
Previous article
Latest developments
Yinfeng Foundation Honored as "2025 Public Welfare Donor" by Jinan Red Cross
Looking ahead, Yinfeng Foundation will use this recognition as an opportunity to further deepen its strategic collaboration with the Jinan Red Cross, expand cooperation in areas such as life health and emergency response, and continue to empower efforts to accelerate the construction of a "new, strong, excellent, rich, beautiful, and high-quality" modern socialist strong capital city, contributing even more Yinfeng strength to this endeavor.
The team successfully developed the CryoSIM platform, an intelligent microfluidics and deep learning-integrated system. This platform deeply integrates core technologies of deep learning and microfluidics to enable high-throughput, high-precision automated analysis of oocyte membrane permeability. It provides a novel technological tool for optimizing and advancing the clinical translation of oocyte cryopreservation techniques. Additionally, it offers an innovative practical paradigm for the application of artificial intelligence in low-temperature biomedicine and reproductive medicine.
Public Welfare Partnership: A Special Letter from the Jinan Red Cross
On the afternoon of January 30, 2026, the Jinan Red Cross presented a letter of special significance to the Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Public Welfare Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the Yinfeng Foundation).
World’s First Achievement Highlights Brand Leadership
In the future, Yinfeng Life Science Research Institute will continue to uphold its mission of "Dedicated to Medical Technology, Safeguarding Human Health." It will empower brand building with more original and pioneering scientific and technological achievements, contributing wisdom and strength to Shandong's goal of building a national regional innovation hub and promoting Chinese brands on the global stage.
Global First Ovarian Tissue Dual Activation Technology Debuts at 2025 Jinan Achievements Conference
Currently, the ovarian tissue dual activation technology has been successfully applied in clinical practice at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Shenzhen (Longgang) Hospital, having treated over 400 patients with a treatment success rate of 70%. Over the next three years, Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Research Institute plans to use Jinan as a center to gradually expand the transformation and application of this technological achievement nationwide.
According to the latest announcement from the International Society of Cryobiology, Professor Xu Yi from the School of Health Science and Engineering at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, and a member of the Yinfeng Cryomedicine Expert Committee, has been elected as a Board Governor of the Society for a three-year term (2026–2028). The election was conducted through a democratic vote by all members worldwide, with three new Board Governors elected. Professor Xu Yi is the only scholar from Asia elected to the Society’s Board of Governors this time and the third elected scholar from mainland China in the Society’s 60-year history.
Yinfeng Life Continuation Plan
Address: Yinfeng Biotechnology Park, 1758 Gangyuan 6th Road, High-tech Zone, Jinan City, Shandong Province
Zip Code: 250102
Telephone: 0086-0531-88897351
Mobile: 0086-19953155507
Mobile website
Official WeChat Public Number
Links:Red Cross Society of China丨Shandong Red Cross Society丨Shandong Provincial Health Commission | Yinfeng Group| Yinfeng Biological Group
All rights reserved©Yinfeng Life Continuation Powered by www.300.cn SEO
