Bio-Design and Manufacturing  2026 Vol.9 No.3 P.563 - 578

http://doi.org/10.1631/bdm.2600041


Minimalistic metabolite piezoelectric self-assembly for the development of implantable bioelectronics for in vivo monitoring


Author(s):  Zengfeng Qiu,Ruiqi Liu,Haoye Jiang,Xiaoyue Ma,Lujing Gao,Zixuan Liu,Jiahao Zhang,Yancheng Wang,Jiqian Wang,Syed A. M. Tofail,Deqing Mei,Hai Xu,Kai Tao

Affiliation(s):  1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, 266580, China more

Corresponding email(s):   xuh@upc.edu.cn, xuh@upc.edu.cn

Key Words:  Metabolites, Piezoelectricity, Implantable bioelectronics, Self-assembly


Zengfeng Qiu. Minimalistic metabolite piezoelectric self-assembly for the development of implantable bioelectronics for in vivo monitoring[J]. Journal of Zhejiang University Science D, 2026, 9(3): 563 - 578.

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Abstract: 
Amino acid non-centrosymmetric self-assemblies, possessing inherent polarization as well as biocompatibility, can be employed as bioinspired alternatives for the development of implantable piezoelectric bioelectronics. This could enable the harvesting of biomechanical energy for in situ in vivo monitoring and avoid the need for secondary surgeries, potentially overcoming the trade-off between high-efficiency sensing and the biosafety limitations of traditional inorganic or polymeric piezoelectric counterparts. In this regard, the electromechanical coupling behaviors of the minimalistic metabolite self-assemblies are reported. Experimental tests reveal that compared to other natural amino acid crystals, threonine (T) crystals exhibit a high Young’s modulus of up to approximately 80 GPa by forming a denser three-dimensional hydrogen-bonding network, with each molecule interacting with seven adjacent ones. Computational analysis reveals that side-chain entities dramatically affect crystal packing, with polar hydroxyl moieties accounting for the distinct piezoelectric features underlying the macroscopic performance. This highlights the potential of exploiting T crystals to develop biodegradable piezoelectric bioelectronics that exhibit highly sensitive linear responses for tactile sensing and post-implantation in vivo motion monitoring. This study demonstrates the feasibility of exploiting minimalistic metabolite self-assemblies for piezoelectric bioelectronics in bio-machine interface and biomedical engineering applications.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

Minimalistic metabolite piezoelectric self-assembly for the development of implantable bioelectronics for in vivo monitoring

生物代谢小分子通过非中心对称自组装形成的聚集体, 兼具本征极性与生物相容性, 为开发兼具生物安全性与可控降解性的可植入压电生物电子器件提供了理想平台。 此类器件不仅能高效采集体内机械能以实现原位监测, 而且避免了二次手术取出的需求, 有望突破传统压电材料在高灵敏度、 组织适配性与生物安全性之间的性能平衡。 本文系统研究了氨基酸自组装体的机电耦合行为。 实验表明, 苏氨酸晶体通过形成致密的三维氢键网络 (每个分子与七个相邻分子相互作用), 实现了约 80 GPa 的高杨氏模量。 结合理论计算分析发现, 侧链极性羟基基团是决定晶体堆积方式及宏观压电特性的关键因素。 基于此, 本文构建了基于苏氨酸晶体的生物可降解压电生物电子器件, 该器件在触觉感知及体内运动监测中均展现出高灵敏度的线性响应。 本研究证实了利用生物代谢小分子自组装体构建生物-器件交互界面的可行性, 为生物医学工程领域提供了新的材料与器件设计策略。
Metabolites; Piezoelectricity; Implantable bioelectronics; Self-assembly

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On-line Access: 2026-04-28

Received: 2026-01-19

Revision Accepted: 2026-03-04

Crosschecked: 0000-00-00

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Citations:  Bibtex RefMan EndNote GB/T7714

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