Issue 43, 2020

Printed, cost-effective and stable poly(3-hexylthiophene) electrolyte-gated field-effect transistors

Abstract

Organic bioelectronic sensors based on an electrolyte gated field-effect transistor are gaining momentum due to their extraordinary high-performance level that enables label-free selective single-molecule detection of both genomic and protein biomarkers with a millimeter-wide electrolyte-gated field-effect transistor (EGOFET) device. The organic semiconductor channel material used so far is a spin-coated regio-regular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). Of paramount importance is to design an EGOFET sensor that is stable and cost-effective. To address the latter feature, an ink-jet printed regio-regular P3HT film is here investigated as the channel material. Moreover, the EGOFET device structure is intended to comprise a coplanar lateral gate electrode that enables mechanical and electrical stability. Overall, the structure is compatible with large area processing so it can be fabricated at low-costs and can be operated continuously for eight days. Additionally, systematic optical and Raman characterization of the P3HT film proves that the printing process results in a film with a low energetic disorder (better π–π stacking in the crystalline regions) that likely enables stable operation. However, the higher quality crystalline regions (as compared to a spin-coated film) are dispersed in a more significant fraction of the amorphous disordered material with a larger amount of trap states. The higher crystalline order is ascribed to the higher boiling point and slower evaporation of the ortho-dichlorobenzene solvent used in the printing process. Overall, the present study provides a systematic insight into the structure–property correlations, essential to design a well-functioning and cost-effective EGOFET for high-performance electronic biosensing. It also provides one of the few investigations comparing the features characterizing a spin-coated and an ink-jet printed P3HT film.

Graphical abstract: Printed, cost-effective and stable poly(3-hexylthiophene) electrolyte-gated field-effect transistors

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 iyl 2020
Accepted
12 avq 2020
First published
02 sen 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15312-15321

Printed, cost-effective and stable poly(3-hexylthiophene) electrolyte-gated field-effect transistors

D. Blasi, F. Viola, F. Modena, A. Luukkonen, E. Macchia, R. A. Picca, Z. Gounani, A. Tewari, R. Österbacka, M. Caironi, Z. M. Kovacs Vajna, G. Scamarcio, F. Torricelli and L. Torsi, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020, 8, 15312 DOI: 10.1039/D0TC03342A

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