A universal platform for fabricating organic electrochemical devices and its application in biosensing

Abstract

This project intends to foster progress in the interface of organic electronics and biology through development of material science and engineering of new devices. The field known as bioelectronics has gain traction mainly due to its promising application in healthcare-sensing devices, in neuronal stimulation/detection and tissue engineering intended for implantation. However, several important 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. On the top that biological applications require materials that operate in aqueous systems, which significantly reduces the library of available semiconducting polymers. Therefore, we intend to perform fundamental studies on the operation mechanisms of Organic Electrochemical Transistors (OECTs). Such devices have made significant progress in recent years and are about to become the device of choice for manufacturing devices in organic bioelectronics, especially for biosensing application. By better understanding the working mechanism of OECTs, we intend to propose general requirements for manufacturing electrochemical transistors that encompass all the available conjugated polymers (and not only those that operate in aqueous solution). Finally, we plan on developing a high sensitivity and low cost biosensor, aimed to diagnose neglected diseases, such as the Chagas Diseases. (AU)