Advances in ion injection in organic electrochemical transistors

Abstract

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) utilize conjugated polymer’s ability to conduct both ions and electronic holes to create devices that can interface with biology along with being used in neuromorphic and memory applications. Improving OECT design means better understanding the physics of ion injection and the effects of hydration on different conjugated polymers. Recent studies have found that OECT performance benefits from hydrophilic side chains on conjugated polymers. Performance has also been found to decrease in highly crystalline polymers. Additionally, ionic liquids have been utilized either in doping a conjugated polymer or in creating an ion exchange gel interface to improve performance. Finally, certain polymers exhibit a phase change upon ion injection resulting in a sharp ion front.