Fully Rubbery Epicardial Bioelectronic Patch

The ideal epicardial bioelectronic patch should possess a cardiac tissue-like mechanical softness and deformability, and capability of spatiotemporal mapping of electrical and physical parameters. However, existing patches constructed from rigid materials with structurally engineered mechanical stretchability still form a hard–soft interface with the epicardium, which can strain cardiac tissue and does not allow for deformation with a beating heart. Alternatively, patches made from intrinsically soft materials lack spatiotemporal mapping or sensing capabilities. Here, we report the first epicardial bioelectronic patch that is made from materials that match the mechanical softness of heart tissue and is capable of multiplexed ECG mapping, strain and temperature sensing, electrical pacing, thermal ablation, and energy harvesting functions.