Organic bioelectronics: from materials characterization to devices development

Abstract

The main goal of the project, entitled "Organic Bioelectronics: From materials characterization to devices development", is to foster progress in the interface area of organic electronics and biology through development of material science. The field known as bioelectronics has gained traction mainly due to its promising application in healthcare-sensing devices and tissue engineering intended for implantation. Nonetheless, several aspects, such as, devices transduction mechanism, adhesion of biomaterials on the top of organic polymer materials and correlation between morphological changes at the interface of polymer/biological materials with electrical signaling during transduction/adhesion is not complete understood. In order to draw a better scenario, we first intent realizing ex and in-situ characterization of the morphology between the biological and polymeric materials interface, using X-ray Scattering technique, such as, Wide Angle X-Ray Scattering (WAXS) and Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) before and after biomaterial immobilization. Second step is devoted to develop optimized bioelectronics devices, based on organic electrochemical transistors (OECT) and field-effect transistors (OFET), used as a biorecognition of different elements. Finally, optimized devices will be electrically characterized, being the results related to those of the first part (morphological characterization), in order to understand the effect of surface conformation and structure upon biofunctionalization and biorecognition on the electrical output of bioelectronic devices. (AU)