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Organic electronic circuits based on organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are attracting great attention due to their printability, flexibility, and low voltage operation. Inverters are the building blocks of digital logic circuits (e.g., NAND gates) and analog circuits (e.g., amplifiers). However, utilizing OECTs in electronic logic circuits is challenging due to the resulting low voltage gain and low output voltage levels. Hence, inverters capable of operating at relatively low supply voltages, yet offering high voltage gain and larger output voltage windows than the respective input voltage window are desired. Herein, inverters realized from poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate‐based OECTs are designed and explored, resulting in logic inverters exhibiting high voltage gains, enlarged output voltage windows, and tunable switching points. The inverter designs are based on multiple screen‐printed OECTs and a resistor ladder, where one OECT is the driving transistor while one or two additional OECTs are used as variable resistors in the resistor ladder. The inverters' performances are investigated in terms of voltage gain, output voltage levels, and switching point. Inverters, operating at +/−2.5 V supply voltage and an input voltage window of 1 V, that can achieve an output voltage window with ∼110% increment and a voltage gain up to 42 are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants are able to sense and respond to a myriad of external stimuli, using different signal transduction pathways, including electrical signaling. The ability to monitor plant responses is essential not only for fundamental plant science, but also to gain knowledge on how to interface plants with technology. Still, the field of plant electrophysiology remains rather unexplored when compared to its animal counterpart. Indeed, most studies continue to rely on invasive techniques or on bulky inorganic electrodes that oftentimes are not ideal for stable integration with plant tissues. On the other hand, few studies have proposed novel approaches to monitor plant signals, based on non-invasive conformable electrodes or even organic transistors. Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are particularly promising for electrophysiology as they are inherently amplification devices, they operate at low voltages, can be miniaturized, and be fabricated in flexible and conformable substrates. Thus, in this study, we characterize OECTs as viable tools to measure plant electrical signals, comparing them to the performance of the current standard, Ag/AgCl electrodes. For that, we focused on two widely studied plant signals: the Venus flytrap (VFT) action potentials elicited by mechanical stimulation of its sensitive trigger hairs, and the wound response of Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that OECTs are able to record these signals without distortion and with the same resolution as Ag/AgCl electrodes and that they offer a major advantage in terms of signal noise, which allow them to be used in field conditions. This work establishes these organic bioelectronic devices as non-invasive tools to monitor plant signaling that can provide insight into plant processes in their natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to accurately extract low‐amplitude voltage signals is crucial in several fields, ranging from single‐use diagnostics and medical technology to robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT). The organic electrochemical transistor (OECT), which features large transconductance values at low operating voltages, is ideal for monitoring small signals. Here, low‐power and high‐gain flexible circuits based on printed complementary OECTs are reported. This work leverages the low threshold voltage of both p‐type and n‐type enhancement‐mode OECTs to develop complementary voltage amplifiers that can sense voltages as low as 100 µV, with gains of 30.4 dB and at a power consumption of 0.1–2.7 µW (single‐stage amplifier). At the optimal operating conditions, the voltage gain normalized to power consumption reaches 169 dB µW−1, which is >50 times larger than state‐of‐the‐art OECT‐based amplifiers. In a monolithically integrated two‐stage configuration, these complementary voltage amplifiers reach voltage gains of 193 V/V, which are among the highest for emerging complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor‐like technologies operating at supply voltages below 1 V. These flexible complementary circuits based on printed OECTs define a new power‐efficient platform for sensing and amplifying low‐amplitude voltage signals in several emerging beyond‐silicon applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐voltage operating organic electronic circuits with long‐term stability characteristics are receiving increasing attention because of the growing demands for power efficient electronics in Internet of Things applications. To realize such circuits, inverters, the fundamental constituents of many circuits, with stable transfer characteristics should be designed to provide low‐power consumption. Here, a rational inverter design, based on fully screen printed p‐type organic electrochemical transistors with a channel size of 150 × 80 µm2, is explored for driving conditions with input voltage levels that differs of about 1 V. Further, three different inverter circuits are explored, including resistor ladders with resistor values ranging from tens of kΩ to a few MΩ. The performance of single inverters, 3‐stage cascaded inverters and 3‐stage ring oscillators are characterized with respect to output voltage levels, propagation delay, static power consumption, voltage gain, and operational frequency window. Depending on the application, the key performance parameters of the inverter can be optimized by the specific combination of the input voltage levels and the resistor ladder values. A few of the inverters are in fact fully functional up to 30 Hz, even when using input voltage levels as low as (0 V, 1 V). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors (EGOFETs) represent a class of organic thin-film transistors suited for sensing and biosensing in aqueous media, often at physiological conditions. The EGOFET device includes electrodes and an organic semiconductor channel in direct contact with an electrolyte. Upon operation, electric double layers are formed along the gate-electrolyte and the channel-electrolyte interfaces, but ions do not penetrate the channel. This mode of operation allows the EGOFET devices to run at low voltages and at a speed corresponding to the rate of forming electric double layers. Currently, there is a lack of a detailed quantitative model of the EGOFETs that can predict device performance based on geometry and material parameters. In the present paper, for the first time, an EGOFET model is proposed utilizing the Nernst-Planck-Poisson equations to describe, on equal footing, both the polymer and the electrolyte regions of the device configuration. The generated calculations exhibit semi-qualitative agreement with experimentally measured output and transfer curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) have gained significant interest in recent years due to their ability to transduce and amplify biochemical signals into easily recorded electrical signals. The magnitude of the amplification offered by an OECT is proportional to its transconductance, gm, making gm an important figure of merit. Much attention has, therefore, been paid to the materials and device geometries, which can maximize an OECT's gm. However, less attention has been paid to the role of the applied potentials and various operational regimes. In this paper, we expand on the seminal Bernards and Malliaras model of the OECT function to include negative gate potentials, allowing prediction of gm and general biosensor performance over a broader application range. The expanded model results in five operational regimes, only two of which were covered by the original model. We find an optimal combination of drain and (negative) gate potentials yielding maximal gm. We also find that reducing the pinch-off potential well below the water-splitting limit can yield larger operational windows at the highest gm. Our expanded model presents a general set of guidelines for OECT operation, yielding the highest possible gm, and, therefore, optimal amplification and associated (bio)sensor performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular electron transfer (EET) denotes the process of microbial respiration with electron transfer to extracellular acceptors and has been exploited in a range of microbial electrochemical systems (MESs). To further understand EET and to optimize the performance of MESs, a better understanding of the dynamics at the microscale is needed. However, the real‐time monitoring of EET at high spatiotemporal resolution would require sophisticated signal amplification. To amplify local EET signals, a miniaturized bioelectronic device, the so‐called organic microbial electrochemical transistor (OMECT), is developed, which includes Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 integrated onto organic electrochemical transistors comprising poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) combined with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). Bacteria are attached to the gate of the transistor by a chronoamperometric method and the successful attachment is confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. Monitoring EET with the OMECT configuration is achieved due to the inherent amplification of the transistor, revealing fast time‐responses to lactate. The limits of detection when using microfabricated gates as charge collectors are also investigated. The work is a first step toward understanding and monitoring EET in highly confined spaces via microfabricated organic electronic devices, and it can be of importance to study exoelectrogens in microenvironments, such as those of the human microbiome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In electronics, the field-effect transistor (FET) is a crucial cornerstone and successful integration of this semiconductor device into circuit applications requires stable and ideal electrical characteristics over a wide range of temperatures and environments. Solution processing, using printing or coating techniques, has been explored to manufacture organic field-effect transistors (OFET) on flexible carriers, enabling radically novel electronics applications. Ideal electrical characteristics, in organic materials, are typically only found in single crystals. Tiresome growth and manipulation of these hamper practical production of flexible OFETs circuits. To date, neither devices nor any circuits, based on solution-processed OFETs, has exhibited an ideal set of characteristics similar or better than today's FET technology based on amorphous silicon. Here, bar-assisted meniscus shearing of dibenzo-tetrathiafulvalene to coat-process self-organized crystalline organic semiconducting domains with high reproducibility is reported. Including these coatings as the channel in OFETs, electric field and temperature-independent charge carrier mobility and no bias stress effects are observed. Furthermore, record-high gain in OFET inverters and exceptional operational stability in both air and water are measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic investigation of the contact resistance in electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) demonstrates a dependence of source charge injection versus gate electrode work function. This analysis reveals contact-limitations at the source metal-semiconductor interface and shows that the contact resistance increases as low work function metals are used as the gate electrode. These findings are attributed to the establishment of a built-in potential that is high enough to prevent the Fermi-level pinning at the metal-organic interface. This results in an unfavorable energetic alignment of the source electrode with the valence band of the organic semiconductor. Since the operating voltage in the electrolyte-gated devices is on the same order as the variation of the work functions, it is possible to tune the contact resistance over more than one order of magnitude by varying the gate metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-voltage organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) promise for low power consumption logic circuits. To enhance the efficiency of the logic circuits, the control of the threshold voltage of the transistors are based on is crucial. We report the systematic control of the threshold voltage of electrolyte-gated OFETs by using various gate metals. The influence of the work function of the metal is investigated in metal-electrolyte-organic semiconductor diodes and electrolyte-gated OFET5. A good correlation is found between the flat-band potential and the threshold voltage. The possibility to tune the threshold voltage over half the potential range applied and to obtain depletion-like (positive threshold voltage) and enhancement (negative threshold voltage) transistors is of great interest when integrating these transistors in logic circuits. The combination of a depletion-like and enhancement transistor leads to a clear improvement of the noise margins in depleted-load unipolar inverters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic electronics have, over the past two decades, developed into an exciting area of research and technology to replace classic inorganic semiconductors. Organic photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes, and thin-film transistors are already well developed and are currently being commercialized for a variety of applications. More recently, organic transistors have found new applications in the field of biosensors. The progress made in this direction is the topic of this review. Various configurations are presented, with their detection principle, and illustrated by examples from the literature. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a dc model to simulate the static performance of electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors. The channel current is expressed as charge drift transport under electric field. The charges accumulated in the channel are considered being contributed from voltage-dependent electric-double-layer capacitance. The voltage-dependent contact effect and short-channel effect are also taken into account in this model. A straightforward and efficient methodology is presented to extract the model parameters. The versatility of this model is discussed as well. The model is verified by the good agreement between simulation and experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the possibility to maintain an electric polarization in an organic bilayer via ion trapping, i.e., without any external bias. In the cryptand-polyanion bilayer, ions of specific size can be strongly coordinated with organic macrocyclic molecules. Cations move from the polyanion layer to the cryptand layer upon applying a bias and are trapped in this layer. As a result, the voltage dependence of the polarization displays a hysteresis. The bilayer is then advantageously used as an electronic insulating layer in an organic field effect transistor. The ions trapping and de-trapping can be followed by the amplitude of the threshold voltage (Vth) shift as well as its temporal evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) is an electrochemical method commonly used in neuroscience for spatiotemporal measurement of the concentration of dopamine and other electroactive species. Since FSCV involves wide bandwidth measurements of low currents, the technique is normally very sensitive to electrical noise and is typically performed inside a Faraday cage. In order to reduce the electrical noise and to enable measurements in an unshielded environment, we take use of an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) to amplify the FSCV signals. OECTs based on the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) were microfabricated and characterized. A patterned 10μm gold microelectrode was used as the sensing electrode and the FSCV signal was amplified by the OECT. With this approach, successful measurements of dopamine concentrations in the 10μM range were performed in a completely unshielded measurement setup. Our results demonstrate how OECTs can successfully be used in an on-site amplification application to characterize biochemical signals, thus open up new trails for flexible multifunctional organic bioelectronics systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A DNA sensor based on a water-gated organic field-effect transistor is described. The semiconductor is poly [3-(5-carboxypentyl)thiophene-2,5-diyl] onto which DNA probes are covalently grafted via NHS/EDC chemistry. Clear changes in the output characteristic of the device are observed upon DNA immobilization and after DNA hybridization. Experimental data point out the importance of the electrolyte Debye length that can screen negative DNA charges and impede transduction. For this reason, deionized water was used in order to increase the Debye length up to several hundreds of nanometers. In this case, a decrease in the off current was observed upon hybridization, whereas no significant change occurred when using saline solutions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Organic Thin Film Transistors (OTFT), gated through an aqueous electrolyte, have extensively been studied as sensors in various applications. These water-gated devices are known to work both as electrochemical (Organic ElectroChemical Transistor – OECT) and field-effect (Organic Field-Effect Transistor – OFET) devices. To properly model and predict the response of water-gated OTFT sensors it is important to distinguish between the mechanism, field-effect or electrochemical, by which the transistor is modulated and thus how the gate signal can be affected by the analyte. In this present study we explore three organic polymer semiconductors, poly-(3-hexyl-thiophene) (P3HT), poly-(3-carboxy-pentyl-thiphene) (P3CPT) and a co-polymer P3HT–co-poly-(3-ethoxypentanoic acid-thiophene) (monomer ratio 1:6, P3HT–COOH15) in water-gated OTFT structures. We report a set of transistor characteristics, including standard output parameters, impedance spectroscopy and current transients, to investigate the origin of the mode of operation in these water-gated OTFTs. Impedance characteristics, including both frequency and voltage dependence, were recorded for capacitor stacks corresponding to the gate/electrolyte/semiconductor/source structure. It is shown that P3HT as well as P3HT–COOH15 both can function as semiconductors in water gated OTFT devices operating in field-effect mode. P3CPT on the other hand shows typical signs of electrochemical mode of operation. The –COOH side group has been suggested as a possible anchoring site for biorecognition elements in EGOFET sensors, rendering P3HT–COOH15 a possible candidate for such applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Nanofibrillated cellulose is hybridized with PEDOT:PSS or polyelectrolyte. [•] The resulting membranes are self-supporting and self-adhesive. [•] Displays and transistors are obtained upon lamination of the hybrid membranes. [•] System integration of electronic components is simplified. [•] A novel concept of system reconfiguration is also proven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyelectrolytes are promising electronicallyinsulating layers for low-voltage organic field effect transistors.However, the polyelectrolyte–semiconductor interface is difficultto manufacture due to challenges in wettability. We introduce an amphiphilicsemiconducting copolymer which, when spread as a thin film, can changeits surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic upon exposure to water.This peculiar wettability is exploited in the fabrication of polyelectrolyte-gatedfield-effect transistors operating below 0.5 V. The prepared amphiphilicsemiconducting copolymer is based on a hydrophobic regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT) covalently linked to a hydrophilic poly(sulfonated)-based randomblock. Such a copolymer is obtained in a three-step strategy combiningGrignard metathesis (GRIM), atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP)processes, and a postmodification method. The structure of the diblockcopolymer was characterized using FT-IR, 1H NMR spectroscopy,and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report a method for inkjet-printing an organic semiconductor layer on top of the electrolyte insulator layer in polyelectrolyte-gated OFETs by using a surface modification treatment to overcome the underlying wettability problem at this interface. The method includes depositing an amphiphilic diblock copolymer (P3HT-b-PDMAEMA). This material is designed to have one set of blocks that mimics the hydrophobic properties of the semiconductor (poly(3-hexylthiophene) or P3HT), while the other set of blocks include polar components that improve adhesion to the polyelectrolyte insulator. Contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm formation of the desired surface modification film. Successful inkjet printing of a smooth semiconductor layer allows us to manufacture complete transistor structures that exhibit low-voltage operation in the range of 1V. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A totally innovative electrolyte-gated field effect transistor, embedding a phospholipid film at the interface between the organic semiconductor and the gating solution, is described. The electronic properties of OFETs including a phospholipid film are studied in both pure water and in an electrolyte solution and compared to those of an OFET with the organic semiconductor directly in contact with the gating solution. In addition, to investigate the role of the lipid layers in the charge polarization process and quantify the field-effect mobility, impedance spectroscopy was employed. The results indicate that the integration of the biological film minimizes the penetration of ions into the organic semiconductor thus leading to a capacitive operational mode as opposed to an electrochemical one. The OFETs operate at low voltages with a field-effect mobility in the 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1 range and an on/off current ratio of 103. This achievement opens perspectives to the development of FET biosensors potentially capable to operate in direct contact with physiological fluids. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Monolithic integration of an organic field-effect transistor (OFET) and an organic electrochromic display cell operating at around 1V is reported. This was achieved by utilising a common patterned layer of poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PSSH). In the OFET, PSSH served as the electric double layer capacitors between the gate and the organic semiconductor channel. In the electrochromic pixel, PSSH was included as the electrolyte and transports protons from and to the electrochromic layer upon switching. The enhancement mode OFET enables a relatively faster updating speed, of the display cell, and provides a much simpler addressing and updating scheme as compared to smart pixels including a depletion mode electrochemical transistor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Organic phototransistor memory is considered as a promising optoelectronic device owing to its multifunctionality. However, due to the poor reliability of each function and the complexity of the device structure, it is necessary to optimize the thin-film process of functional materials when constructing multiple functions into a single device. Here, we demonstrate a dual-functional device that is both a working memory transistor and a phototransistor by incorporating photochromic spironaphthooxazine molecules into an organic insulating layer. The photochromic molecules in the polymer matrix not only exhibit nonvolatile charge storage properties similar to nano-floating gates but also feature a reversible electronic band structure upon alternating irradiation with ultraviolet and visible light, which makes the device function as both an electrical memory transistor and a phototransistor. Furthermore, the photoresponsive charge trap layer in the demonstrated device leads to excellent memory performance under both dark and light conditions, which includes a large memory window (~56 V), stable endurance cycles (>102), and good retention characteristics (>104 s). Our findings suggest an alternative strategy to realize organic multifunctional nonvolatile memories. Image 1 • Organic phototransistor memories were fabricated by utilizing photochromic spironaphthooxazine molecules. • We demonstrated a dual-functional device that was both a working memory transistor and a phototransistor. • The devices showed a large memory window (~56 V), stable endurance cycles (>102), and good retention property (>104 s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]