Solar Energy News
CHIP TECH
Modified soft material promises better bioelectronics
SPX stock illustration only
Modified soft material promises better bioelectronics
by Staff Writers for NCSU News
Raleigh NC (SPX) Jan 17, 2024

The scientific community has long been enamored of the potential for soft bioelectronic devices, but has faced hurdles in identifying materials that are biocompatible and have all of the necessary characteristics to operate effectively. Researchers have now taken a step in the right direction, modifying an existing biocompatible material so that it conducts electricity efficiently in wet environments and can send and receive ionic signals from biological media.

"We're talking about an order-of-magnitude improvement in the ability of soft bioelectronic materials to function efficiently in biological environments," says Aram Amassian, co-corresponding author of a paper on the work and a professor of materials science and engineering at North Carolina State University. "This is not an incremental advance."

There is tremendous interest in creating organic bioelectronics and organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), with a wide range of biomedical applications. However, one limiting factor is identifying nontoxic materials that can conduct electricity, interacting with ions - which is critical to functioning in biological environments, and operating efficiently in the aqueous, water-based environments of biological systems.

One material of interest has been PEDOT:PSS, which is a nontoxic polymer that is able to conduct electricity. PEDOT:PSS is used to create thin films which are effectively fiber networks that are only nanometers wide. Electrical current can run through the fibers, which are also sensitive to ions in their environment.

"The idea is that, because ions interact with the fibers - and affect their conductivity - PEDOT:PSS can be used to sense what is happening around the fibers," says Laine Taussig, co-first author of the paper and a recent Ph.D. graduate of NC State who now works at the Air Force Research laboratory.

"Essentially, PEDOT:PSS would be able to monitor its biological environment. But we could also use the electric current to influence the ions surrounding the PEDOT:PSS, sending signals to that biological environment," says Masoud Ghasemi, co-first author and a former postdoctoral fellow at NC State who is now a postdoctoral fellow at Penn State.

However, PEDOT:PSS's structural stability declines significantly when placed in aqueous environments - like biological systems. That's because PEDOT:PSS is a single material made from two components: the PEDOT, which conducts electricity and is not soluble in water; and PSS, which responds to ions, but is water soluble. In other words, the PSS makes the material start to fall apart when it comes into contact with water.

Previous efforts to stabilize the structure of PEDOT:PSS have been able to help the material withstand aqueous environments, but have both hurt PEDOT:PSS's performance as a conductor and made it more difficult for ions to interact with the material's PSS components.

"Our work here is important, because we've found a new way to make a PEDOT:PSS that is structurally stable in wet environments and able to both interact with ions and conduct electricity very efficiently," says George Malliaras, co-corresponding author and Prince Philip Professor of Technology at Cambridge University.

Specifically, the researchers start with PEDOT:PSS in solution and then add ionic salts. Given time, the ionic salts interact with the PEDOT:PSS, causing it to self-assemble into fibers with a unique structure that remains stable in wet environments. This modified PEDOT:PSS is then dried and the ionic salts rinsed off.

"We already knew that ionic salts could affect PEDOT:PSS," Amassian says. "What's new here is that by giving the ionic salts more time to see the full extent of those effects, we modified the crystalline structures of the PEDOT and the PSS to essentially lace themselves together at the molecular scale. This makes the PSS impervious to the water in the environment, allowing the PEDOT:PSS to maintain its structural stability at the molecular level."

"The change is also hierarchical, meaning that there are shifts at the molecular level all the way up to macroscale," says Yaroslava Yingling, co-author of the paper and Kobe Steel Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State. "The ionic salts cause the PEDOT:PSS to essentially reorganize itself into a phase that resembles a web-like gel that is preserved in both dry and wet environments."

In addition to being stable in aqueous environments, the resulting films retain their conductivity. What's more, because the PEDOT and PSS are tightly interwoven, it's easy for ions to reach and interact with the PSS component of the material.

"This new phase of PEDOT:PSS was used to create OECTs by our collaborators at Cambridge," Amassian says. "And those OECTs set a new state-of-the-art standard in both volumetric capacitance and electronic carrier mobility. In other words, it's the new gold standard in both conductivity and ion responsiveness in bio-friendly electronics.

"Given that PEDOT:PSS is transparent, flexible, stretchable, conductive and biocompatible, the range of potential applications is exciting - extending well beyond the biomedical sector," says Enrique Gomez, co-corresponding author and a professor at Penn State.

Research Report:Electrostatic Self-Assembly Yields a Structurally-Stabilized PEDOT:PSS With Efficient Mixed Transport and High Performance OECTs

Related Links
North Carolina State University
Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture
Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CHIP TECH
Generating stable qubits at room temperature
Fukuoka, Japan (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
In a study published in Science Advances, a group of researchers led by Associate Professor Nobuhiro Yanai from Kyushu University's Faculty of Engineering, in collaboration with Associate Professor Kiyoshi Miyata from Kyushu University and Professor Yasuhiro Kobori of Kobe University, reports that they have achieved quantum coherence at room temperature: the ability of a quantum system to maintain a well-defined state over time without getting affected by surrounding disturbances This breakthrough ... read more

CHIP TECH
Researchers create light-powered yeast, providing insights into evolution, biofuels, cellular aging

Nigerians look to biofuel as cost of cooking gas soars

Chinese company gives leftover hotpot oil second life as jet fuel

Cheap and efficient ethanol catalyst from laser-melted nanoparticles

CHIP TECH
ARMADAS showcases autonomous space construction robots for NASA

China premier says 'red line' needed in AI development

Microsoft CEO defends OpenAI partnership after EU, UK probes

Multiple AI models help robots execute complex plans more transparently

CHIP TECH
Leaf-shaped generators create electricity from the wind and rain

Danish firm to build huge wind farm off UK

UK unveils massive news windfarm investment by UAE, German firms

Wind and solar projects can profit from bitcoin mining

CHIP TECH
Hertz to shrink EV rental fleet over sluggish US demand

Honda unveils futuristic EV designs to hit US market in 2026

Uber, Kia sign electric vehicle partnership

China's Evergrande says head of EV arm detained

CHIP TECH
Self-powered sensor automatically harvests magnetic energy

Cobalt-free batteries could power cars of the future

Study reveals a reaction at the heart of many renewable energy technologies

Using idle trucks to power the grid with clean energy

CHIP TECH
Innovative use of antineutrinos in monitoring nuclear reactors for non-proliferation

Uranium Energy Corp to Resume Uranium Production in Wyoming's Powder River Basin

UK unveils plans for 'biggest nuclear power expansion in 70 years'

Jeumont Electric joins forces with Framatome and Naval Group

CHIP TECH
Trade barriers can slow energy transition: IEA chief

EU debates 2040 milestone towards carbon-neutral future

US reduces emissions in 2023 - but not fast enough: report

Private sector funding key to climate transition, World Bank chief says

CHIP TECH
Soil fungi may help explain the global gradient in forest diversity

Deforestation in Brazilian Amazon halved in 2023

A new map showing all above-ground biomass in the Brazilian Amazon

Drones help solve forest carbon capture riddle

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.