Researcher Wang Gang, from theStateKey Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials (SKLFPM) of DHU, in collaboration with the clinical team of hand surgery at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, achieved the first controlled construction of nanoscale ionic heterojunctions on the surface of a one-dimensional curved structure and obtained an electron-ion hybrid semiconductor fiber device with kilometer-scale fabrication potential. The fibers can be used as neural interfaces, offering the possibility of restoring better motor function to patients who missed early treatment of nerve injury. The related research was recently published in Nature Communications.
Diagram of electron-ion hybrid semiconductor fiber devices and applications
“Unlike previous neural interface devices, the electron-ion hybrid semiconductor fiber device developed by our team is more similar to the natural human nerve in both morphology and conduction function.” Said Wang Gang, the paper’s corresponding author.
Researcher Wang Gang (left) guides students in related experiments
The research team has made innovative breakthroughs in the design and preparation of functional semiconductor fiber neural interface devices, which makes the preparation of the materials easier and provides the devices with more potential and development prospects in future industrialization and large-scale management. Eventually, the fiber can be used as a neural interface for the development of diagnosis and treatment and biomedical devices such as bionic neuronal computer interfaces and brain-like intelligence.
