(467d) Soft and Biostable Silver - Gold Core - Shell Nanowire Nanocomposite Film

Commonly, implantable bioelectronics are fabricated from rigid materials that can lead to inflammation and performance degradation during prolonged use. New approaches must be taken to produce devices with softer mechanical properties more closely matching their tissue environment. By making a nanocomposite material, both electrical and mechanical properties may be manipulated to allow for a more compatible implantable device. Limitations include making a nanocomposite material with high enough of a conductivity while still expressing softer properties. Benefits include the device adapting more suitably soft and stable properties attributable to the polymer matrix. By taking a systematic approach, a range of conductivities and softnesses have been achieved and characterized. Further investigation of the inflammation processes around these devices are required to establish their prospects as long-term neural electrodes.