Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are of high interest due to their ability to transduce ionic signals, such as those produced in biology, with relatively high gain at low operating voltages (<0.5V), making them ideal candidates for biosensing applications. Extrapolating from fundamental principles, our group has developed various biomimetic membranes to selectively sense metabolites, ions and hormones from various bodily fluids including sweat and saliva.
Lipid bilayer-functionalized sensors
Model cell membranes can be utilized to study membrane transport and interactions occurring between membrane components and other species. Our research shows that these membranes can be formed on a conducting polymer support and can be used as a highly sensitive and selective impedimetric sensing platform with applications in drug discovery and pathogen detection. The polymer facilitates diffusion of the membrane components to accurately represent native membrane functionality.
Finite-Element Analysis
We perform finite element analysis to understand device performance and mechanisms of action. Our simulations of organic semiconductor devices encompass stationary, time-dependent, and frequency studies. These models have been used to study ion transport processes through pores embedded in the SLBs.
Organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) for signal amplification
Transistors made from organic materials such as conducting polymers have large transconductance that can be used to amplify small biological signals. We have demonstrated that separation of the actual sensing electrode from the OECT optimizes the sensors amplification.
Active members in this area: Jeremy Treiber, Gerwin Dijk, Julian Mele, Andrew Harper