Modern
development of flexible electronics has made use of bioelectronic
materials as artificial tissue in vivo. As hydrogels
are more similar to nerve tissue, functional hydrogels have become
a promising candidate for bioelectronics. Meanwhile, interfacing functional
hydrogels and living tissues is at the forefront of bioelectronics.
The peripheral nerve injury often leads to paralysis, chronic pain,
neurologic disorders, and even disability, because it has affected
the bioelectrical signal transmission between the brain and the rest
of body. Here, a kind of light-stimuli-responsive and stretchable
conducting polymer hydrogel (CPH) is developed to explore artificial
nerve. The conductivity of CPH can be enhanced when illuminated by
near-infrared light, which can promote the conduction of the bioelectrical
signal. When CPH is mechanically elongated, it still has high durability
of conductivity and, thus, can accommodate unexpected strain of nerve
tissues in motion. Thereby, CPH can better serve as an implant of
the serious peripheral nerve injury in vivo, especially
in the case that the length of the missing nerve exceeds 10 mm.