3D Mesoporous Electrodes Integrated with Soft Surgical Robotics for Putative Minimally Invasive Intraoperative Tumor Detection and Ablation Monitoring
File version
Author(s)
Ashok, A
Nguyen, CC
Tomaskovic-Crook, E
Listyawan, MA
Truong, TA
Zhu, K
Chen, H
Shivdasani, MN
Do, TN
Yamauchi, Y
Crook, JM
Phan, HP
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
License
Abstract
Flexible endoscopes equipped with multimodal sensors offer an innovative minimally invasive approach to perioperative diagnosis and intraoperative ablation monitoring, addressing the limitations of conventional mechanical- and optical-based techniques. Over the years, various miniaturized sensors have been developed, providing essential insights through minimally invasive surgeries (MIS). Among them, tactile sensors hold significant potential to revolutionize the diagnosis of tissue malignancy, serving to detect differences in the mechanical properties between healthy and cancerous tissues. However, such differences are largely detectable only at late-stage malignancy. Sensing tissue electrical properties, such as bioelectrical impedance, offers a potentially better approach to distinguishing tissue abnormalities due to the pronounced differences between divergent tissues and over the course of tumor development. Nonetheless, the integration of impedance sensors with soft medical robots remains under explored due to the challenges in fabricating suitable electrode materials that offer low interfacial impedance when in contact with biotissues. This work developed a 3D conformal electronic device based on mesoporous gold (mAu) sensors, combining top-down lithography, bottom-up electrochemical deposition, and a liquid-assisted transfer printing technique. The mAu electrode platform exhibited an enhancement in impedance sensitivity of 2.5 times higher than that of flat gold, and the 3D configuration enables tissue impedance measurements on different sides of the device, highly beneficial for navigating soft robots and performing in situ diagnosis in hard-to-reach areas. In vitro human tissue studies confirmed that the sensors can distinguish cancerous from healthy tissues. These findings highlight the potential of 3D conformal mesoporous electronics for use in advanced soft robot-assisted minimally invasive procedures.
Journal Title
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
17
Issue
34
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Qiu, Y; Ashok, A; Nguyen, CC; Tomaskovic-Crook, E; Listyawan, MA; Truong, TA; Zhu, K; Chen, H; Shivdasani, MN; Do, TN; Yamauchi, Y; Crook, JM; Phan, HP, 3D Mesoporous Electrodes Integrated with Soft Surgical Robotics for Putative Minimally Invasive Intraoperative Tumor Detection and Ablation Monitoring, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2025, 17 (34), pp. 48440-48452