Radical New Tissue-like Hydrogel Semiconductor Will Merge Humans & Technology
Updated
Humanity is one step closer to transhumanism—the controversial and frightening belief that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations by means of science and technology. No longer merely labeled a conspiracy, researchers from the University of Chicago have developed a new hydrogel semiconductor that retains the semiconductive activity necessary to transmit information between living tissue and machine. Intended for use in both implantable medical devices and non-surgical applications, the groundbreaking solution, which is soft, stretchable, and has a considerable degree of hydration similar to living tissue, blends its soft mechanical properties with high electronic functionality, making it “the perfect material for interfacing electronics with living tissue.” UChicago PME Assistant Professor Sihong Wang and co-author of the study remarked:
“All these traits combine to make hydrogel probably the most useful material for tissue engineering and drug delivery.”
Yahao Dai, the first author of the new research paper, released on October 24, 2024, explained that when making implantable bioelectric devices, one obstacle that must be addressed is constructing a device with tissue-like mechanical properties. This outcome is necessary to ensure that when the device is directly interfaced with the living tissue, it can deform together and also form a very intimate bio-interface. Successfully delivering tissue-like properties, the team’s hydrogel semiconductor is not merging a semiconductor with a hydrogel. Instead, it is one material that is both a semiconductor and hydrogel simultaneously, as SciTech Daily reported. Wang shared:
“It’s just one piece that has both semiconducting properties and hydrogel design, meaning that this whole piece is just like any other hydrogel.”
However, the new dynamic duo hydrogel material, which, as mentioned, is also a semiconductor, went a step further and improved biological functions in two areas, creating better results than either could accomplish on its own. First, SciTech Daily reported that having a very soft material bond directly with tissue lowers the immune responses and inflammation typically triggered upon implanting a medical device.
Second, because hydrogels are so porous, the new material encourages “elevated biosensing response and stronger photo-modulation effect.” In other words, the capacity of biomolecules to diffuse into the hydrogel film significantly increases sensitivity and heightened response to light for therapeutic functions. This heightened response could benefit, for example, light-operated pacemakers or wound dressing that can be heated more efficiently with a “flick of light to help speed healing.”
So, how exactly did the team create their new hydrogel, which they have patented and are marketing through the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship Innovation? Interestingly, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) plays a crucial role in the preparation and assembly of their hydrogel semiconductors (hydro-SCs). DMSO—a substance many believe has multiple healing capabilities—is used as the solvent to dissolve the water-insoluble polymer semiconductors. Most existing polymer semiconductors (made up of many small particles called monomers) are not water soluble, making direct hydrogel formation problematic in an aqueous medium. Thus, DMSO’s role is critical.
DMSO allows the semiconductor to remain dissolved, facilitating the mixing of the hydrogel and cross-linking agents. During the solvent exchange process (from DMSO to water), DMSO allows the polymer semiconductor to precipitate out due to its restricted solubility in water. This regulated precipitation results in the formation of a well-percolated network of the polymer semiconductor within the porous hydrogel matrix. This network is essential for achieving efficient charge transport and electronic functionality. DMSO acts as a medium for the ultraviolet (UV)-initiated cross-linking of hydrogel monomers (a small molecule that can chemically bond with other similar molecules to form a larger molecule called a polymer) into a 3D hydrogel network. The high reactivity of the hydrogel monomer in DMSO enables the efficient formation of the hydrogel structure.
In a nutshell, DMSO serves as a processing solvent that permits the incorporation of water-insoluble polymer semiconductors into hydrogels. DMSO’s role in dissolving, cross-linking, and controlled network formation guarantees the successful integration of semiconducting properties with the hydrogel’s soft, tissue-like characteristics.
With its tissue-like softness and stretchability (~150%), this feat allows hydro-SC to integrate with the human body seamlessly. Future uses are frightening and limitless, including artificial vision systems and skin augmentation to “feel” digital interaction in AI environments, enabling non-human senses, such as detecting infrared light, electromagnetic fields, or AI settings. Moreover, hydro-SC can potentially streamline wireless communications between devices and the human body, enabling digital augmentation such as direct interfacing with the internet or cloud computing. Of course, there is a focus on anti-aging and aesthetic applications, such as electronic tattoos using hydro-SC to change color, emit light, or display information dynamically. Yippee.
There is no doubt that the team, with guidance from Wang Research Group, spends the majority of its time developing ways to merge electronics with the human body. The group’s hydrogel semiconductor has massive potential to advance the transhumanist agenda by taking a significant step forward in integrating biological and electronic systems, paving the way for transformative applications in the deep state’s quest to reshape the boundaries of what it means to be human.