Improved neuromorphic functionality in organic electrochemical transistors using crosslinked-polyvinyl alcohol for fast ion transport and its application to Pavlovian transistors

Abstract

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) hold significant promise for bioelectronics and neuromorphic computing due to their efficient ion-electron coupling and low operating voltage. However, conventional OECTs based on hydrophobic conjugated polymers such as poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) suffer from limited ion penetration, which restricts transconductance, response speed, and synaptic plasticity. To address these limitations, a cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol (CX-PVA) interlayer is introduced to enhance ion transport and improve device performance. The hydrophilic nature and strong water retention of CX-PVA facilitate efficient ion diffusion, thereby strengthening electrolyte–active layer interactions. CX-PVA/CX-P3HT OECTs were fabricated and their electrical and synaptic properties systematically analyzed. Notably, the incorporation of CX-PVA led to an increase in transconductance from 0.01 to 1.41 mS an improvement of approximately 140-fold—and enhanced the on/off current ratio from 1.4 × 102 to 2.5 × 103. Furthermore, the superior ion transport enabled stronger excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC), improved paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), and prolonged long-term potentiation (LTP), underscoring the potential of CX-PVA as a key enabler for high-performance neuromorphic computing.

Graphical abstract: Improved neuromorphic functionality in organic electrochemical transistors using crosslinked-polyvinyl alcohol for fast ion transport and its application to Pavlovian transistors

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Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 Apr 2025
Accepted
10 Jul 2025
First published
11 Jul 2025

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2025, Advance Article

Improved neuromorphic functionality in organic electrochemical transistors using crosslinked-polyvinyl alcohol for fast ion transport and its application to Pavlovian transistors

S. H. Song, J. H. Song, J. Park, H. Yoo and E. K. Lee, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5TC01475A

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