Optoelectronic control of physiological processes accounts for new possibilities ranging from fundamental research to treatment of disease. Among nongenetic light‐driven approaches, organic semiconductor‐based device platforms such as the organic electrolytic photocapacitor (OEPC) offer the possibility of localized and wireless stimulation with a minimal mechanical footprint. Optimization of efficiency hinges on increasing effective capacitive charge delivery. Herein, a simple strategy to significantly enhance the photostimulation performance of OEPC devices by employing coatings of the conducting polymer formulation poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate), or PEDOT:PSS is reported. This modification increases the charge density of the stimulating photoelectrodes by a factor of 2–3 and simultaneously decreases the interfacial impedance. The electrophysiological effects of PEDOT:PSS‐derivatized OEPCs on Xenopus laevis oocyte cells on membrane potential are measured and voltage‐clamp techniques are used, finding an at‐least twofold increase in capacitive coupling. The large electrolytic capacitance of PEDOT:PSS allows the OEPC to locally alter the extracellular voltage and keep it constant for long periods of time, effectively enabling a unique type of light‐controlled membrane depolarization for measurements of ion channel opening. The finding that PEDOT:PSS‐coated OEPCs can remain stable after a 50‐day accelerated ageing test demonstrates that PEDOT:PSS modification can be applied for fabricating reliable and efficient optoelectronic stimulation devices.
The development of systems capable of responding to environmental changes, such as humidity, requires the design and assembly of highly sensitive and efficiently transducing elements. Such a challenge can be mastered only by disentangling the role played by each component of the responsive system, thus ultimately achieving high performance by optimizing the synergistic contribution of all functional elements. Here, we designed and synthesized a novel [1]benzothieno [3,2-b][1]benzothiophene derivative equipped with hydrophilic oligoethylene glycol lateral chains (OEG-BTBT) that can electrically transduce subtle changes in ambient humidity with high current ratios (>10 4 ) at low voltages (2 V), reaching state-of-the-art performance. Multiscale structural, spectroscopical, and electrical characterizations were employed to elucidate the role of each device constituent, viz., the active material's BTBT core and OEG side chains, and the device interfaces. While the BTBT molecular core promotes the self-assembly of (semi)conducting crystalline films, its OEG side chains are prone to adsorb ambient moisture. These chains act as hotspots for hydrogen bonding with atmospheric water molecules that locally dissociate when a bias voltage is applied, resulting in a mixed electronic/protonic long-range conduction throughout the film. Due to the OEG-BTBT molecules' orientation with respect to the surface and structural defects within the film, water molecules can access the humidity-sensitive sites of the SiO 2 substrate surface, whose hydrophilicity can be tuned for an improved device response. The synergistic chemical engineering of materials and interfaces is thus key for designing highly sensitive humidity-responsive electrical devices whose mechanism relies on the interplay of electron and proton transport.
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