Advanced Composite Materials and Polymer Chemistry

Background

Flexible electronics have emerged as a transformative technology enabling next-generation biomedical sensors that conform to soft biological tissues. Among flexible substrate materials, polyimide stands out due to its excellent thermal stability, mechanical flexibility, chemical resistance, and compatibility with microfabrication processes. Recent advances in polymer chemistry and composite engineering have enabled the integration of conductive fillers, nanomaterials, and biocompatible coatings into polyimide matrices, resulting in multifunctional composite platforms. These developments support applications ranging from wearable health monitors to implantable biosensors and soft bioelectronic interfaces. The convergence of composite materials science and flexible electronics is opening new pathways for reliable, lightweight, and cost-effective biomedical sensing technologies.

The symposium, which serves as a specialized session of the 4th International Conference on Mechatronics and Smart Systems (CONF-MSS 2026), will focus on materials and chemistry.

Goal/Rationale

Despite significant progress, challenges remain in developing flexible biomedical sensors that combine mechanical durability, biocompatibility, electrical stability, and scalable fabrication. Polyimide-based composites offer a promising solution by enabling tunable mechanical and electrical properties through polymer chemistry and material engineering. This symposium aims to explore recent advances in polyimide composites for flexible electronics, focusing on their role in wearable and implantable biomedical sensors.

Key topics include conductive composite formulations, integration of nanomaterials (e.g., graphene, CNTs), microfabrication on flexible substrates, encapsulation strategies, and long-term reliability in physiological environments. The symposium will also address translational challenges such as manufacturability, cost reduction, and regulatory considerations. By bringing together researchers from materials science, polymer chemistry, electronics, and biomedical engineering, the symposium seeks to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and accelerate the development of next-generation flexible bioelectronic systems.

Scope

This symposium invites contributions addressing the design, fabrication, characterization, and application of polyimide-based composite materials in flexible biomedical electronics. Topics of interest include:

• Polyimide composite materials with conductive fillers and nanomaterials
• Flexible and stretchable biosensor architectures
• BioMEMS fabrication on polymer substrates
• Biocompatible coatings and encapsulation methods
• Wearable and implantable sensor applications
• Reliability and performance in physiological conditions
• Low-cost and scalable manufacturing approaches
• Integration with wireless and portable health monitoring systems

The symposium is intended for researchers, engineers, and industry professionals working in materials science, polymer chemistry, biomedical engineering, and flexible electronics. Participants will gain insights into emerging materials, fabrication strategies, and interdisciplinary approaches shaping the future of biomedical sensing technologies.