Citation: Chenglong Cai, Ting Wang, Yixin Zhang, Conghao Lin, Zhangqi Feng, Yan Cai, Nongyue He. Integrated implantable triboelectric charge collector for nerve repair[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(3): 111087. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111087 shu

Integrated implantable triboelectric charge collector for nerve repair

Chenglong Cai ^{a, 1} ,
Ting Wang ^{a, 1,} ,
Yixin Zhang ^a ,
Conghao Lin ^a ,
Zhangqi Feng ^b ,
Yan Cai ^{a, *,} ,
Nongyue He ^a

a.
State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
b.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China

tingwang@seu.edu.cn

yancai@seu.edu.cn

Received Date: 24 November 2024
Revised Date: 6 March 2025
Accepted Date: 12 March 2025
Available Online: 13 March 2025

Figures(4)

The employment of low-frequency electrical stimulation therapy has been shown to elicit a pronounced depolarization of neurons, thereby initiating the regenerative signaling cascades within neural cells, which is favorable for the regeneration of neural cells. In this study, we designed the flexible triboelectric nanogenerator device (TENG) to treat injury of peripheral nerve, which is combined with mesoporous silica (H-SiO₂), high dielectric performance of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and connected to biocompatible and conductive polycaprolactone (PCL) conduit materials for limited power generation to neuro-bioelectric response adaptation. By adjusting the content of H-SiO₂ and the amount of PDMS monomers, the electrical performance of the device is optimized. Through the charge collection effect of silica molecular sieve, the endogenous neural electric field in nerve injury was stabilized, ensuring the consistency of the electrical stimulation level that is crucial for maintaining resting membrane potential. In vitro experiments clearly demonstrated that electrical stimulation derived from the triboelectric nanogenerator significantly promotes cell proliferation. Further animal experiments confirmed that electrical stimulation can effectively treat sciatic nerve injury and accelerate axonal regeneration. Based on experimental outcomes, we have developed an implantable sciatic nerve system that can stably generate effective electrical pulses in response to rat movement through charge collection. This system regulates the electric field around the injured sciatic nerve, maintains the electric field threshold required for rapid nerve tissue repair, and accelerates the recovery of nerve function.
- Triboelectric nanogenerator,
- Nerve repair,
- Electrical stimulation,
- Implantable flexible devices,
- Mesoporous material
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