BME1456H Materials Science for Bioelectronic Device Design

Streams

Clinical Engineering

Sessions

Winter

Description

Bioelectronics is an emerging field that involves the use of engineering principles to create devices for applications in biology, medicine, and health sciences. These devices translate between the ionic, chemical, and mechanical signals of living tissue and the electronic signals of engineered systems. One of the most important aspects of bioelectronics is the development of communication interfaces between biological materials (cells, tissues, and organs) and manmade devices for optimal energy delivery and signal transduction efficacies.

This course examines the materials science and interfacial physics that set bioelectronic device performance: charge transport and charge transfer at the electrode and electrolyte interface, mixed ionic and electronic conduction in conjugated polymers, semiconducting channels for signal amplification at the source, optoelectronic and piezoelectric transduction, soft and stretchable mechanics, encapsulation and barrier materials, and biofunctional surface chemistry. Content is organized around the material classes and interfacial mechanisms that recur across applications, from implanted neural probes and cardiac leads to skin worn sensors and continuous molecular monitors. Lectures on fundamentals alternate with student-led literature reviews, in which students critique reported figures of merit and the evidence behind design claims. The course concludes with an individual design project in which each student identifies an unmet clinical need, analyzes why current devices and materials fall short, and pitches a materials-and-device concept to address it, including its anticipated failure modes and translation pathway.

Prerequisites

None

Components

Lecture

Restrictions

None