devices, which makes materials science an area essential for the development of society. The

interest to understand how biological systems work has grown with the advancement of

medicine and biology, seeking to monitor them, model them, and create tools that allow the

sustainability and reparation of live tissues. The first functional equipment that successfully

measured electrical signals produced by the body was the electrocardiogram in 1912 [1]; later

appeared pacemaker, the first invasive device of this type, and transistors. Currently, the use

of electronic devices to solve medical problems is extensive and continues to advance, such as

systems for neural stimulation, vestibular implants, biosensors, and retinal prostheses.

In search of a reduction in the existing gap between synthetic systems (abiotic) and bio­

logical systems (biotic), bioelectronics was born, a multidisciplinary area that bonds elec­

tronics and biology, two highly developed sciences, and also requires the participation of

different branches such as physics, chemistry, and materials science. Bioelectronics seeks to

understand and know the biotic/abiotic interface to obtain information and achieve selective

control of biological processes. The biotic/abiotic interface includes all the interactions be­

tween electronics and biological systems, whether to translate information, stimulate or

control [2]. Within the study areas of bioelectronics, the development of translators that allow

communication between living systems and electronic processing systems is of great interest

since this type of device would allow the specific and controlled monitoring and regulation

of the physiology and the functional processes in tissues, organs, and cells. A bioelectronics

material must have electrical characteristics and also be non-toxic, biocompatible, and have

comfortable mechanical properties for the application, for example, devices used on the skin

should be flexible and breathable, implantable devices should adapt to the implant area and

be bioabsorbable, and the wound treatment devices should inhibit bacterial growth [3].

Bioelectronics materials may be classified according to their composition or the appli­

cation for which they were designed (Figure 2.1). In the first case, bioelectronics materials

might be mainly inorganic and organic. Inorganic bioelectronics materials have been the

most researched because inorganic materials are the main component of many electrical

devices. The most common inorganic material for electronic and bioelectronics is silicon,

a biocompatible semiconductor that shows high charge mobility and versatility in macro-

and microfabrication methods [4]. Currently, inorganic bioelectronics focuses on the

development of flexible inorganic materials, which allow the manufacturing of more

comfortable and biocompatible devices, regarding this, transfer printing has been studied

FIGURE 2.1

Classification scheme of bioelectronics materials according to their composition and their application.

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Bioelectronics