“Organic mixed ionic/electronic conductors for applications in bioelectronics”
Direct measurement and stimulation of ionic, biomolecular, cellular, and tissue-scale activity is a staple of bioelectronic diagnosis and/or therapy. Bi-directional interfacing can be enhanced by a unique set of properties imparted by organic electronic materials. These materials, based on conjugated polymers, can be adapted for use in biological settings and show significant molecular-level interaction with their local environment, readily swell, and provide soft, seamless mechanical matching with tissue. At the same time, their swelling and mixed conduction allows for enhanced ionic-electronic coupling for transduction of biosignals. These properties serve to enable new capabilities in bioelectronics. In the first part of my talk I will focus on the design of polymer bioelectronic materials for enhanced electrophysiological sensors based on electrochemical transistors. Synthetic design and processing can yield high performance mixed conductors with large volumetric capacitance, high transconductance, and steep subthreshold switching characteristics for low power sensing. Rising areas in stability and circuit integration are highlighted. I will then discuss the unique form factors enabled by polymer electronics, and their applications in regenerative engineering, including the development of biohybrid composites based on water soluble conducting polymers. The developments highlight the role of materials design for addressing critical needs in bio-electronic interfacing.
