Advances in conductive microneedles: From fabrications to applications
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Advances in conductive microneedles: From fabrications to applications

Qi Zhang
1
,
Sukrit Gaira
1
,
Junyan Lai
1
,
Rongfeng Wang
1
,
Yuanyi Zhao
1
,
Leo Wu
1
,
Shi-Yang Tang
1,2,*
,
Qingtian Zhang
1,*
*Correspondence to: Qingtian Zhang, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. E-mail: qingtian.zhang@unsw.edu.au
Shi-Yang Tang, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK. E-mail: shiyang.tang2@unsw.edu.au
Smart Mater Devices. 2026;2:202613. 10.70401/smd.2026.0034
Received: March 30, 2026Accepted: May 28, 2026Published: May 28, 2026
This article belongs to the Special lssue  Micro-Nano Probes and Biosensors for Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics
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This manuscript is made available in its unedited form to allow early access to the reported findings. Further editing will be completed before final publication. As such, the content may include errors, and standard legal disclaimers are applicable.

Abstract

Conductive microneedles (CMNs) combine the minimally invasive characteristics of microneedles with the electrical functionality required for sensing, recording, stimulation, and controlled drug delivery. By penetrating the stratum corneum with reduced pain and tissue damage, they provide efficient access to the skin microenvironment and have shown strong potential in wearable healthcare, precision diagnostics, and intelligent therapeutics. Despite these advantages, challenges remain in balancing mechanical robustness with electrical functionality, improving fabrication precision and reproducibility, maintaining interfacial stability, and achieving scalable manufacturing. In this review, the major fabrication routes for CMNs are summarized and compared in terms of forming principles, material compatibility and conductivity-introduction strategies. Secondly, research on the key performance of CMNs is discussed. After that, the applications of CMNs in electrochemical sensing, bioelectrical signal acquisition, electrostimulation therapy, and drug delivery are overviewed, followed by a brief discussion of current challenges and future perspectives.

Keywords

Conductive microneedles, transdermal device, fabrication strategies, electrochemical sensing, bioelectrical recording, drug delivery

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Zhang Q, Gaira S, Lai J, Wang R, Zhao Y, Wu L, et al. Advances in conductive microneedles: From fabrications to applications. Smart Mater Devices. 2026;2:202613. https://doi.org/10.70401/smd.2026.0034

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