Smart nanoengineered electronic-scaffolds based on triboelectric nanogenerators as tissue batteries for integrated cartilage therapy

At present, cartilage defect therapy requires a long-term repair period and does not permit real-time detection of the cartilage repair state named “black box”. Inspired by the electroactive nature of living organisms, next-generation tissue trauma therapy with integrated bioelectronics promises to achieve the desired therapeutic effects. Here, a tissue battery for integrated cartilage therapy was nanoengineered through the on-demand integration of intelligent scaffolds with a porous three-dimensional structure and multi-convex triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG)-based sensor. The proposed cartilage tissue battery is repair-induced, self-powered, highly sensitive, implantable, intelligently degradable, and anti-interference. The sensor based on the contact separation TENG mechanism has a high sensitivity (52.5 V MPa–1) within the pressure range of joint movement (0–1.8 MPa), enabling the tissue battery to in-situ detect the real-time status of cartilage repair in the “black box”. Additionally, in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the tissue battery converts mechanical energy into electricity to stimulate chondrocyte proliferation in the scaffold, thereby shortening the cartilage repair period. The proposed tissue battery for tissue repair under electrical stimulation is beneficial for reducing pain and treatment costs for patients with cartilage defects and is a promising strategy for bioelectronic implants.