Direct measurement and stimulation of ionic, biomolecular, cellular, and tissue-scale activity is a staple of bioelectronic diagnosis and/or therapy. Such bi-directional interfacing can be enhanced by a unique set of properties imparted by organic electronic materials. These materials, based on conjugated polymers, can be adapted for use in biological settings and show significant molecular-level interaction with their local environment, readily swell, and provide soft, seamless mechanical matching with tissue. At the same time, their swelling and mixed conduction allows for enhanced ionic-electronic coupling for transduction of biosignals.  Structure-transport properties allow us to better understand and design these active materials, providing further insight into the role of molecular design and processing on ionic and electronic transport, charging phenomena, and stability for the development of high-performance devices. Such properties stress the importance of bulk transport processes, and serve to enable new capabilities in bioelectronics, including new device concepts and form factors, such as compact signal amplification circuits. To advance such proofs of concept, however, an in-depth understanding of sources of device instability must be investigated and addressed at the material design and device engineering level. I will show recent work that explores potential mechanisms of degradation and addresses the role of interfacial properties and device implementation towards improving stability.

Polymer mixed conductors for applications in bioelectronics

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.