Iman M Imani ¹, Bosung Kim ¹, Xiao Xiao ¹, Najaf Rubab ¹, Byung-Joon Park ¹, Young-Jun Kim ¹, Pin Zhao ¹, Minki Kang ¹, Sang-Woo Kim ^{1 2}

¹School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
²SKKU Institute of Energy Science and Technology (SIEST), School of Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology (SAIHST), Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.

I.M.I. and B.K. contributed equally to this work. 
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR : Sang-Woo Kim

To prevent surgical site infection (SSI), which significantly increases the rate morbidity and mortality, eliminating microorganisms is prominent. Antimicrobial resistance is identified as a global health challenge. This work proposes a new strategy to eliminate microorganisms of deep tissue through electrical stimulation with an ultrasound (US)-driven implantable, biodegradable, and vibrant triboelectric nanogenerator (IBV-TENG). After a programmed lifetime, the IBV-TENG can be eliminated by provoking the on-demand device dissolution by controlling US intensity with no surgical removal of the device from the body. A voltage of ≈4 V and current of ≈22 µA generated from IBV-TENG under ultrasound in vitro, confirming inactivating ≈100% of Staphylococcus aureus and ≈99% of Escherichia coli. Furthermore, ex vivo results show that IBV-TENG implanted under porcine tissue successfully inactivates bacteria. This antibacterial technology is expected to be a countermeasure strategy against SSIs, increasing life expectancy and healthcare quality by preventing microorganisms of deep tissue.