Body-Mediated Bioelectronics for Zero-Powered Ion Release and Electrical Stimulation

Development of bioelectronics that can be used permanently in daily life without additional power sources is an important research goal. To this end, myriad permanent systems based on energy harvesting have been reported; however, there are still limitations, such as restrictions regarding specific installations and connections to lines. Herein, we present a new type of bioelectronics based on body-mediated energy transfer for zero-powered ion release and electrical stimulation. Body-mediated bioelectronics (BMB) is a new system that transfers electrical energy generated by various human activities (e.g., walking, using laptop) through the human body without energy loss. To apply the BMB to human skin, a biocompatible and skin-adhesive soft ion-diffusive hydrogel (IDH) was utilized as the bioelectrode. Finally, a BMB patch composed of IDHs with an iontophoretic structure was applied to the human body, and zero-powered electrical stimulation as well as active ion emission were implemented in daily life.