Near-Infrared Triggered Degradation for Transient Electronics

Electronics that disintegrate after stable operation present exciting opportunities for niche medical implant and consumer electronics applications. The disintegration of these devices can be initiated due to their medium conditions or triggered by external stimuli, which enables on-demand transition. An external stimulation method that can penetrate deep inside the body could revolutionize the use of transient electronics as implantable medical devices (IMDs), eliminating the need for secondary surgery to remove the IMDs. We report near-infrared (NIR) light-triggered transition of metastable cyclic poly(phthalaldehyde) (cPPA) polymers. The transition of the encapsulation layer is achieved through the conversion of NIR light to heat, facilitated by bioresorbable metals, such as molybdenum (Mo). We reported a rapid degradation of cPPA encapsulation layer about 1 min, and the rate of degradation can be controlled by laser power and exposure time. This study offers a new approach for light triggerable transient electronics for IMDs due to the deep penetration depth of NIR light through to organs and tissues.