Microneedle Photovoltaic Retina Electrode for Wire-Free Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing artificial retina devices face challenges with wire connections causing complications, inefficient cell stimulation due to flat electrode structures, and high phototoxicity risks from current photovoltaic devices, particularly those using organic materials with low efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A microneedle array-based electrode with a coating layer of PCE10, ITIC, and Y6 organic photovoltaic substances, separated by an insulator layer, is designed to stimulate retinal cells without wires, utilizing microneedles that operate as independent electrodes with enhanced photovoltaic efficiency in infrared wavelengths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wire connection is used for electrical current transmission in artificial retina devices, then electrical current can be transmitted, but surgical complications and side effects occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the wire connection component from the artificial retina device, replacing it with a photovoltaic electrode that generates electrical current directly at the retinal interface through light absorption, thereby eliminating surgical complications associated with wire connections while maintaining electrical current transmission functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The photovoltaic electrode serves itself by converting light energy directly into electrical current at the site of application, eliminating the need for external wire connections to supply power, thus achieving both current transmission and removal of harmful wire-related side effects
2Ease of manufacture
If flat electrode structure is used for retinal stimulation, then electrode fabrication is simplified, but deep retinal cells cannot be effectively stimulated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional flat electrode structure to a three-dimensional microneedle array structure that penetrates into the retinal tissue, enabling effective stimulation of deep retinal cells while maintaining fabrication simplicity through standard microneedle manufacturing techniques
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode is segmented into multiple microneedle projections distributed across the surface, with each microneedle acting as an independent stimulation point that can reach deep retinal cells, thereby improving stimulation effectiveness without significantly complicating the manufacturing process
3Power
If organic photovoltaic substance with absorbance wavelength of 600 nm or less is used, then photovoltaic device operation is achieved, but phototoxicity to living body occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the spectral absorption parameter of the organic photovoltaic substance from the visible range (600 nm or less) to the infrared range (greater than 600 nm), which allows photovoltaic operation while avoiding phototoxicity to living tissues, as infrared light is less harmful to biological systems
4Device complexity
If organic photovoltaic substance is used in photovoltaic devices, then device integration is improved, but photovoltaic efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite organic photovoltaic materials combining electron-donor and electron-acceptor components with optimized molecular structures, achieving high photovoltaic efficiency in the infrared range while maintaining the integration benefits of organic materials, thereby resolving the contradiction between device integration and photovoltaic efficiency
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The microneedle array-based electrode provides efficient electrical stimulation of retinal cells, reducing phototoxicity and enabling nerve signal restoration with improved photovoltaic efficiency, allowing for an integrated, wire-free artificial retina device.
Implementation Method 1
a coating layer formed by mixing organic photovoltaic substances including PCE10 (PTB7-Th) and ITIC, preferably organic photovoltaic substances including PCE10, ITIC, and Y6 on the flat surface of the microneedle array structure
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a microneedle array-based electrode comprising organic photovoltaic substances, and an artificial retina device comprising the same, and the microneedle array-based electrode is coated with, as organic photovoltaic substances, a mixture of PCE10, which exhibits the highest absorbance in infrared rays, and ITIC, thereby exhibiting excellent photovoltaic efficiency and low phototoxicity. Further, since an artificial retina device comprising the electrode can adjust the generation of current only with light without any wire connecting the inside and outside of the eyeball, it is possible to restore nerve signals by stimulating the retina of a patient whose photoreceptor cells are damaged.