Development of Screen-Printed Biodegradable Flexible Organic Electrochemical Transistors Enabled by Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Polystyrene Sulfonate and a Solid-State Chitosan Polymer Electrolyte
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2024
Abstract
Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are gaining interest for applications in neuromorphic devices and biosensors. Traditional OECTs use aqueous or ionic gel electrolytes, but these materials often limit performance and wider application due to their fluid nature and poor biocompatibility. This study introduces a biodegradable, flexible solid-state OECT using a chitosan biopolymer electrolyte. The electrolyte consists of chitosan, dextran, and lithium perchlorate (LiClO4)-based salt. The chitosan-based OECTs feature an organic poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate semiconductor channel and are fabricated using screen printing. They demonstrate impressive performance, including an on-state current of 0.19 +/- 0.03 mA at a low 0.6 V bias voltage, a high on/off current ratio of 0.3 x 10(3), and a large transconductance of 0.416 +/- 0.05 mS. Additionally, these OECTs show remarkable endurance and mechanical robustness, maintaining stability after 300 bending cycles, long-term bending, and under temperatures ranging from 30 to 75 degrees C. Significantly, the chitosan-based OECTs are biodegradable, breaking down without toxic byproducts and reducing environmental impact. This makes them a promising option for future bioelectronics and wearable technology that leverage natural biomaterials.
Keywords
organic electrochemical transistors, flexible, screen-printed, biodegradable, PEDOT:PSS, polymer electrolyte
Divisions
physics,sch_ecs,PHYSICS
Funders
Ministry of Education, Malaysia (FRGS/1/2019/TK10/UM/02/4),Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, FRGS Grant (ST007-2023),SATU Joint Research Scheme Program,Centre of Printable Electronics, Research Management & Innovation Complex,Universiti Malaya Centre for Ionic Liquid (UMCIL), Universiti Malaya
Publication Title
ACS Applied Electronic Materials
Volume
6
Issue
4
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Publisher Location
1155 16TH ST, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20036 USA