Special Issue on soft electronics for brain interfaces
Published 26 May, 2026
Introduction:
Soft electronics are transforming the way brain activity is recorded, stimulated and interpreted. By combining compliant materials, biointegrated device architectures, advanced sensing modalities and intelligent signal processing, emerging brain interfaces offer new opportunities for long-term neural monitoring, personalised neurotherapy and human machine interaction.
This special issue presents the latest advances in soft electronic systems that bridge the mechanical, electrical and biological gaps between devices and neural tissues, with a focus in materials, devices, manufacturing strategies, wireless systems, power solutions, closed loop platforms and translational studies for next-generation brain interfaces.
The special issue will bring together interdisciplinary work across materials science, bioelectronics, neuroscience, engineering and clinical research to accelerate the development of safe, reliable and wearable neural technologies.
Topics covered:
- Soft bioelectronic materials for neural interfaces
- Stretchable and flexible neural sensors
- Wearable brain computer interfaces
- Epidermal and implantable neural electronics
- Neural recording and stimulation
- Wireless power and data transmission
- Closed loop neuromodulation systems
- Artificial intelligence for neural signal analysis
- Manufacturing and integration of soft brain interfaces
Important Deadline:
Submission deadline: 31 December 2026
Submission Instructions:
Please read the [Guide for Authors ] before submitting. All articles should be [submitted online], please select [VSI: Soft BCI Interfaces] on submission.
Guest Editors:
Prof. Yan Wang
Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, China.
Email: wang.yan@technion.ac.il
Dr. Yan Wang is currently a tenured Associate Professor at Guangdong Technion. She received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Monash University in 2018 and completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Tokyo in 2021. In soft electronics field, she has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles, including more than 40 as first or corresponding author, in leading journals such as Science Advances (3 papers), Nature Communications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Chemical Society Reviews, and Advanced Materials, with an h-index of 38 and six ESI Highly Cited Papers. And she is also an inventor on multiple patents filed in Australia, Japan, the United States, and China. Her work has earned several awards, including TOP 2% Scientists (2021-2025), the Guangdong Province Major Talent Program (Youth), ACS Publications Award for Women Scientists in Surface and Interface Science (2025), the JMCC Emerging Investigators Award (2025), the Nanoscale Emerging Investigators Award (2022), and the 2018 Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad Award. Her research achievements have attracted international media attention, including coverage by CNN, Herald Sun (Australia), and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (Japan). Her research interests include electronic skins, hydrogel bioelectronics, human-machine interfaces, and diagnostics and therapeutics.
Prof. Alejandro Carnicer Lombarte
City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Email: acarnice@cityu.edu.hk
Dr Alejandro Carnicer Lombarte is a Presidential Assistant Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at City University of Hong Kong. Before joining CityU in January 2026, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge Bioelectronics Laboratory led by Prof. George Malliaras. He holds a PhD in Clinical Neurosciences from the University of Cambridge, an MSc in Neuroscience from University College London, and a BEng in Engineering and BA in Natural Sciences from the Open University and the University of Cambridge, respectively. Alejandro works at the interface between engineering and neuroscience. His publication record includes over 40 peer-reviewed articles, including leading journals such as Science Advances, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, and Advanced Materials. His research focuses on the development of implantable technologies to interface with the nervous system, with a focus on peripheral nerves, to restore function in conditions such as spinal cord injury. His research and academic trajectory have been recognised by awards such as the University of Cambridge Borysiewicz Interdisciplinary Fellowship (2022) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology J.A Lodge Award (2023).
Prof. Zhi Jiang
Harbin Institute of Technology, China.
Email: jiangzhi@hit.edu.cn
Dr. Zhi Jiang is currently a professor in the School of Integrated Circuits at the Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen (HITSZ). He received his doctor degree from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems at the University of Tokyo in 2020 and completed his postdoctoral research at RIKEN in Japan and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in 2024. In the field of flexible electronics, he has published over 40 papers, including more than 20 as first or corresponding author, in leading journals such as Nature Electronics, Science Advances (2 papers), PNAS, Joule, and Advanced Materials (2 papers) , with an h-index of 27 and 5 ESI Highly Cited Papers. He also holds multiple Chinese and PCT patents. His work has earned several awards, including the National Youth Talent (2023), the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad (2019), and the RIKEN Research Incentive Award (2019). Currently, his research group is dedicated to frontier research on critical materials and interfaces in flexible electronic packaging technology and flexible hybrid integrated circuit technology, exploring the application prospects of these emerging technologies in the interdisciplinary field of biomedical engineering. His primary research interests include electronic skin, brain-machine interfaces, and artificial intelligence.