The electrical regulation and repair of peripheral nerves rely on high-quality tissue-bioelectronic interfaces. However, current conductive materials usually exhibit unstable conductivity, mechanical mismatch, and limited processability, which can affect their ability to support structural regeneration and long-term nerve modulation. We fabricated flexible electroactive core-shell nanofibers through a one-step coaxial electrospinning process, which consists of a poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) core core and a double-continuous conductive PEDOT:PSS/polyurethane (PEDOT:PSS/PU) shell. This design integrates mechanical compliance, continuous conductivity, and long-term operational stability. The nanofibers can be assembled into flexible bioelectrodes, providing effective stimulation and high-precision neural recording in rat sciatic nerve and common peroneal nerve, while minimizing the tissue damage usually caused by hard metal electrodes. When they are processed into nerve guiding conduits, they can cross the nerve gap, promoting axon elongation, remyelination, and motor function recovery, achieving in a rat sciatic nerve defect model. Overall, this platform achieves the synergy of structural repair and electrical modulation, providing a promising strategy for the development of tissue regeneration bioelectronic interfaces.
This research was published in Advanced Materials under the title "Nanofiber-Based Electroactive Interfaces Enabling Coordinated Neuromodulation and Peripheral Nerve Regeneration".
Reference: DOI: 10.1002/adma.72880