New opportunities for organic electronics and bioelectronics: ions in action

Abstract

This perspective deals with the coupling of ionic and electronic transport in organic electronic devices, focusing on electrolyte-gated transistors. These include electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors (EG-OFETs) and organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). EG-OFETs, based on molecules and polymers, can be operated at low electrical bias (about 1 V or below) and permit unprecedented charge carrier densities within the transistor channel. OECTs can be operated in aqueous environment as efficient ion-to-electron converters, thus providing an interface between the worlds of biology and electronics. The exploration and the exploitation of coupled ionic and electronic transport in organic materials brings together different disciplines such as materials science, physics, chemistry, electrochemistry, organic electronics and biology.

Electrolytic Gated Organic Field-Effect Transistors for Application in Biosensors—A Review

“…The gate electrode is immersed in the electrolyte and source and drain electrodes, isolated from the electrolyte, provide electrical contact to the channel (Figure 1b). Actually, an EGOFET looks like an OECT (organic electrochemical transistor) [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. However, in an OECT, the on/off switch is produced by electron transfer from the electrolyte and the semiconductor (doping/de-doping) [8], whereas only capacitive processes occur for EGOFETs but no charge transfer.…”

A bio-inspired memory device based on interfacing Physarum polycephalum with an organic semiconductor

“…The connection can be suppressed by additional learning, but, once obtained, the information is practically always accumulated in the system. The peculiar properties of organic semiconductors, such as the ability to conduct both ions and electrons, 7,8 their synthetic tunability, and ease of processing, have been exploited in several classes of devices that range from Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) 9 to organic photovoltaics 10,11 and Organic Thin Film Transistors (OTFTs). 12,13 Low-cost, simple manufacture processing, and versatile geometry allow a straightforward integration of organic-based technology into lab-on-a-chip devices.…”

Protonic transistors from thin reflectin films

“…1,3,8 Moreover, organic and biological ionic conductors are well suited for the transduction of biochemical events into electronic signals. 1,[4][5][6][7]9 These key advantages have made ionic transistors from organic and biological materials exciting targets for further research and development.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Indeed, the processing and fabrication techniques required for the preparation of these transistors are simple, convenient, and inexpensive. [1][2][3][4][5] The constituent organic or biological materials are also amenable to chemical modification and functionalization. 1,[5][6][7] In addition, the mechanical properties of organic materials are inherently compatible with those of biological systems.…”