Imaging data of mechanically loaded, micro-patterned, silk-reinforced cellulose films with gold coating for flexible electrodes in medical implants

Neurodegenerative diseases can be treated using a functional interface between the physically soft tissue such as brain and the man-made electrodes. The orders of magnitude harder neural probes cause local injuries, due to periodic micromovements owing to breathing and pulsatile blood flow leading to encapsulation and related collapsing signals. An alternative to the currently used neural implant films including polyimide, poly(p-xylylene), SU-8 - epoxy-based negative photoresist, liquid crystal polymer, and benzocyclobutene is the natural polymer cellulose with an elastic modulus between 100 and 200 MPa. This article elucidates the measurement of the mechanical properties of bare as well as mono- and double-layer silk-reinforced cellulose in phosphate-buffered saline using a universal testing machine. In addition, the article contains electron microscopy data of these micro-structured, gold-coated films subsequent to peel-off tests to access the impact of micro-structures on gold adhesion on cellulose. These imaging data were completed by electron micrographs of mechanically loaded gold-coated cellulose films to demonstrate the impact of micro-structures on crack formation. Finally, the phosphate-buffered saline-induced swelling of the micro-structure was visualized by electron micrographs obtained before and after two-month storage in air and phosphate-buffered saline, respectively.