Unencapsulated Air-stable Organic Field Effect Transistor by All Solution Processes for Low Power Vapor Sensing

Breaking the mobility-stability dichotomy in organic semiconductors through adaptive surface doping

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) are pivotal for next-generation flexible electronics but are limited by an intrinsic trade-off between mobility and stability. We introduce adaptive surface doping (ASD), an innovative strategy to overcome this dichotomy in OSCs. ASD's adaptive mechanism accommodates a broad range of dopant concentrations, optimally passivating trap states as needed. This approach significantly lowers the trap energy level from 84 meV to 14 meV above the valence band edge, promoting a transition from hopping to band-like transport mechanisms. ASD boosts carrier mobility by over 60%, reaching up to 30.7 cm2 V-1 s-1, while extending the extrapolated operational lifetime of treated devices beyond 57.5 y. This breakthrough sets a standard in organic electronics, positioning ASD as a powerful method for simultaneously enhancing performance and stability in OSC devices.

Engineering Steep Subthreshold Swings in High-Performance Organic Field-Effect Transistor Sensors

Organic field-effect transistor (OFET)-based sensors have gained considerable attention for information perception and processing in developing artificial intelligent systems owing to their amplification function and multiterminal regulation. Over the last few decades, extensive research has been conducted on developing OFETs with steep subthreshold swings (SS) to achieve high-performance sensing. In this review, based on an analysis of the critical factors that are unfavorable for a steep SS in OFETs, the corresponding representative strategies for achieving steep SS are summarized, and the advantages and limitations of these strategies are comprehensively discussed. Furthermore, a bridge between SS and OFET sensor performance is established. Subsequently, the applications of OFETs with steep SS in sensor systems, including pressure sensors, photosensors, biochemical sensors, and electrophysiological signal sensors. Lastly, the challenges faced in developing OFET sensors with steep SS are discussed. This study provides insights into the design and application of high-performance OFET sensor systems.

Flexible vanillin-polyacrylate/chitosan/mesoporous nanosilica-MXene composite film with self-healing ability towards dual-mode sensors

Manufacturing flexible sensors with prominent mechanical properties, multifunctional sensing abilities, and remarkable self-healing capabilities remains a difficult task. In this study, a novel vanillin-modified polyacrylate (VPA), which is capable of forming green dynamic covalent crosslinking with chitosan (CS), was synthesized. The synthesized VPA was combined with mesoporous silica-modified MXene (AMS-MXene) and covalently cross-linked simultaneously with CS, resulting in the formation of a flexible composite conductive film designed for dual-mode sensors. Due to the multidimensional structure formed by the mesoporous silica and MXene layers, the resulting composite film is not only suitable for strain sensing but also excels in gas response sensing. Most importantly, the composite films demonstrate a remarkable self-healing capability through reversible dynamic covalent bonds, specifically Schiff base bonds, coupled with multiple hydrogen bonding interactions with AMS-MXene. This robust self-repair functionality remains effective even at a low temperature of 30 °C. Additionally, the synergistic antibacterial effect exerted by vanillin and CS in the film can endow the composite sensor with excellent antimicrobial properties. This multifunctional composite film holds tremendous potential for applications in green flexible wearable sensors. Furthermore, it can show diverse applications in a wide variety of fields, driving advances in wearable technology and human health monitoring.

Integration of nanomaterial sensing layers on printable organic field effect transistors for highly sensitive and stable biochemical signal conversion

Organic field effect transistor (OFET) devices are one of the most popular candidates for the development of biochemical sensors due to their merits of being flexible and highly customizable for low-cost large-area manufacturing. This review describes the key points in constructing an extended-gate type OFET (EGOFET) biochemical sensor with high sensitivity and stability. The structure and working mechanism of OFET biochemical sensors are described firstly, emphasizing the importance of critical material and device engineering to higher biochemical sensing capabilities. Next, printable materials used to construct sensing electrodes (SEs) with high sensitivity and stability are presented with a focus on novel nanomaterials. Then, methods of obtaining printable OFET devices with steep subthreshold swing (SS) for high transconductance efficiency are introduced. Finally, approaches for the integration of OFETs and SEs to form portable biochemical sensor chips are introduced, followed by several demonstrations of sensory systems. This review will provide guidelines for optimizing the design and manufacturing of OFET biochemical sensors and accelerating the movement of OFET biochemical sensors from the laboratory to the marketplace.

Wearable in-sensor reservoir computing using optoelectronic polymers with through-space charge-transport characteristics for multi-task learning

In-sensor multi-task learning is not only the key merit of biological visions but also a primary goal of artificial-general-intelligence. However, traditional silicon-vision-chips suffer from large time/energy overheads. Further, training conventional deep-learning models is neither scalable nor affordable on edge-devices. Here, a material-algorithm co-design is proposed to emulate human retina and the affordable learning paradigm. Relying on a bottle-brush-shaped semiconducting p-NDI with efficient exciton-dissociations and through-space charge-transport characteristics, a wearable transistor-based dynamic in-sensor Reservoir-Computing system manifesting excellent separability, fading memory, and echo state property on different tasks is developed. Paired with a 'readout function' on memristive organic diodes, the RC recognizes handwritten letters and numbers, and classifies diverse costumes with accuracies of 98.04%, 88.18%, and 91.76%, respectively (higher than all reported organic semiconductors). In addition to 2D images, the spatiotemporal dynamics of RC naturally extract features of event-based videos, classifying 3 types of hand gestures at an accuracy of 98.62%. Further, the computing cost is significantly lower than that of the conventional artificial-neural-networks. This work provides a promising material-algorithm co-design for affordable and highly efficient photonic neuromorphic systems.

Ionic Liquid-Gated Near-Infrared Polymer Phototransistors and Their Persistent Photoconductivity Application in Optical Memory

Organic phototransistors (OPTs) based on polymers have attracted substantial attention due to their excellent signal amplification, significant noise reduction, and solution process. Recently, the near-infrared (NIR) detection becomes urgent for OPTs with the increased demand for biomedicine, medical diagnostics, and health monitoring. To achieve this goal, a low working voltage of the OPTs is highly desirable. Therefore, the traditional dielectric gate can be replaced by an electrolyte gate to form electrolyte-gated organic phototransistors (EGOPTs), which are not only able to work at voltages below 1.0 V but also are biocompatible. PCDTPT, one of the most popular narrow band gap donor-acceptor copolymer, has been rarely studied in EGOPTs. In this work, an organic NIR-sensitive EGOPT based on PCDTPT is demonstrated with the detectivity of 7.08 × 10¹¹ Jones and the photoresponsivity of 3.56 A/W at a low operating voltage. In addition, an existing persistent photoconductivity (PPC) phenomenon was also observed when the device was exposed to air. The PPC characteristic of the EGOPT in air has been used to achieve a phototransistor memory, and the gate bias can directly eliminate the PPC as an erasing operation. This work reveals the underlying mechanism of the electrolyte-gated organic phototransistor memories and broadens the application of the EGOPTs.

Ion-Incorporative, Degradable Nanocellulose Crystal Substrate for Sustainable Carbon-Based Electronics

Electronic wastes from transient electronics accumulate biologically harmful materials with global concern. Recycling these wastes could prevent the deposition of hazardous chemicals and toxic materials to the environment while saving scarce natural compounds and valuable resources. Here, we report a sustainable electronic device, taking advantage of carbon resources and a biodegradable cellulose composite. The device consists of an ambient-stable carbon nanotube as a semiconductor, graphene as electrodes, and a free-standing cellulose filter paper/nanocellulose composite as a dielectric layer. The dual-functional cellulose composite acting simultaneously as a robust substrate and a dielectric is demonstrated, which is compatible with solution device fabrication processes. An optimized channel dimension of 5 mm × 3 mm with the addition of ions that facilitates a charge transport realized a device with an on-current per width of 9.6 μA mm^-1, an on/off ratio >10², a field-effect mobility of 2.03 cm² V^-1 s^-1, and long-term stability over 30 days under ambient conditions. Successful separation of the carbonaceous components via an eco-friendly solution sorting protocol allowed the recycled device to display excellent electronic performance, with a recapture efficiency of 90%. This effort demonstrates a processable, low-cost, and sustainable electronic system that can be applied in the current realm of the semiconducting and sensing industry.

Microstructural Control of Soluble Acene Crystals for Field-Effect Transistor Gas Sensors

Microstructural control during the solution processing of small-molecule semiconductors (namely, soluble acene) is important for enhancing the performance of field-effect transistors (FET) and sensors. This focused review introduces strategies to enhance the gas-sensing properties (sensitivity, recovery, selectivity, and stability) of soluble acene FET sensors by considering their sensing mechanism. Defects, such as grain boundaries and crystal edges, provide diffusion pathways for target gas molecules to reach the semiconductor-dielectric interface, thereby enhancing sensitivity and recovery. Representative studies on grain boundary engineering, patterning, and pore generation in the formation of soluble acene crystals are reviewed. The phase separation and microstructure of soluble acene/polymer blends for enhancing gas-sensing performance are also reviewed. Finally, flexible gas sensors using soluble acenes and soluble acene/polymer blends are introduced, and future research perspectives in this field are suggested.

Balancing the film strain of organic semiconductors for ultrastable organic transistors with a five-year lifetime

The instability of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) is one key obstacle to practical application and is closely related to the unstable aggregate state of organic semiconductors (OSCs). However, the underlying reason for this instability remains unclear, and no effective solution has been developed. Herein, we find that the intrinsic tensile and compressive strains that exist in OSC films are the key origins for aggregate state instability and device degradation. We further report a strain balance strategy to stabilize the aggregate state by regulating film thickness, which is based on the unique transition from tensile strain to compressive strain with increasing film thickness. Consequently, a strain-free and ultrastable OSC film is obtained by regulating the film thickness, with which an ultrastable OFET with a five-year lifetime is realized. This work provides a deeper understanding of and a solution to the instability of OFETs and sheds light on their industrialization.

Onge PBJ, Rondeau-Gagné S, Mirhassani M. Computational Design of an Integrated CMOS Readout Circuit for Sensing With Organic Field-Effect Transistors

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are at the forefront of next generation electronics. This class of devices is particularly promising due to the possibility of fabrication on mechanically compliant and conformable substrates, and potential manufacturing at large scale through solution deposition techniques. However, their integration in circuits, especially using stretchable materials, is still challenging. In this work, the design and implementation of a novel structure for an integrated CMOS readout circuitry is presented and its fundamentals of operation are provided. Critical for sensing applications, the readout circuitry described is highly linear. Moreover, as several sources of mismatch and error are present in CMOS and OFET devices, a calibration technique is used to cancel out all the mismatches, thus delivering a reliable output. The readout circuit is verified in TSMC 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The maximum total power consumption in the proposed readout circuit is less than 571 μW, while fully loaded calibration circuit consumes a power less than 153 μW, making it suitable for sensors applications. Based on previously reported high mobility and stretchable semiconducting polymers, this new design and readout circuitry is an important step toward a broader utilization of OFETs and the design of stretchable sensors.

High-Performance Full-Photolithographic Top-Contact Conformable Organic Transistors for Soft Electronics

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) are identified to be the most promising candidate for next-generation wearable and implantable electronics because of their unique advantages including their flexibility, low cost, long-term biocompatibility, and simple packaging. However, commercialization of organic transistors remains an enormous challenge due to their low mobility and lack of scalable strategy for high-precise soft devices. Here, a novel photolithography fabrication strategy is proposed, which is completely compatible with various commercial organic semiconductor materials, for the first demonstration of the fully photolithographic top-contact conformable OTFTs with the device density as high as 1523 transistors cm-2. Excellent electrical and mechanical properties with device yield as high as 100%, field-effect mobility up to 1-2 cm2 V-1 s-1, and outstanding conformability are shown. This work provides a new strategy that can fully maximize the advantages of organic materials and photolithography technology, showing a great prospect in the development of high-performance, high-precise organic devices toward the commercialized and industrialized soft electronic products.

Meniscus-controlled printing of single-crystal interfaces showing extremely sharp switching transistor operation

Meniscus, a curvature of droplet surface around solids, takes critical roles in solution-based thin-film processing. Extension of meniscus shape, and eventual uniform film growth, is strictly limited on highly lyophobic surfaces, although such surface should considerably improve switching characteristics. Here, we demonstrate a technique to control the solution meniscus, allowing to manufacture single-crystalline organic semiconductor (OSC) films on the highest lyophobic amorphous perfluoropolymer, Cytop. We used U-shaped metal film pattern produced on the Cytop surface, to initiate OSC film growth and to keep the meniscus extended on the Cytop surface. The growing edge of the OSC film helped maintain the meniscus extension, leading to a successive film growth. This technique facilitates extremely sharp switching transistors with a subthreshold swing of 63 mV dec^-1 owing to the effective elimination of charge traps at the semiconductor/dielectric interface. The technique should expand the capability of print production of functional films and devices.

All-Inkjet Printed Organic Thin-Film Transistors with and without Photo-Sensitivity to Visible Lights

Printable organic thin-film transistors have enabled flexible low-cost electronics, which has the potential for a lot of emerging electronic applications. Despite the excellent dark performance of advanced all-inkjet printed organic thin-film transistors, their photoresponse is less explored and needs to be investigated, especially photoresponse to visible lights that human beings can see and are most familiar with. Importantly, for electronics integration, both devices with and without photo-sensitivity to visible light are important, for photo-detecting and signal processing, respectively. In this study, two organic semiconductor materials are used in all-inkjet printed organic thin-film transistors, namely 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT), 6,13-bis (triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS-pentacene). By characterizing devices under optical exposure with wavelengths from 400 to 800 nm, photocurrents and threshold voltage shifts of the devices are extracted. The fabricated C8-BTBT organic thin-film transistors do not exhibit noticeable photo-sensitivity to visible light, whereas the TIPS-pentacene devices demonstrate significant photoresponse to visible lights, with photocurrents in nano- to micro-ampere levels and threshold voltage shifts of hundreds of millivolts to several volts depending on the photon energy of lights under the same intensity. The TIPS-pentacene devices demonstrated reproducible characteristics before and after light exposure. In addition, the responsivity and sensitivity of the devices were characterized with a decent responsivity of 55.9 mA/W. The photoresponse mechanisms are explained with ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) adsorption spectroscopy measurements and extracted optical bandgaps of the two semiconductors. This study shows both printed organic transistors with and without photo-sensitivity can be fabricated with the same device structure and fabrication process at low cost, which opens the new possibility of using printed organic thin-film transistors for integrated optoelectronic applications.

Design and Synthesis of Air-Stable p-Channel-Conjugated Polymers for High Signal-to-Drift Nitrogen Dioxide and Ammonia Sensing

The development of high-performance-conjugated polymer-based gas sensors involves detailed structural tailoring such that high sensitivities are achieved without compromising the stability of the fabricated devices. In this work, we systematically developed a series of diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based polymer semiconductors by modifying the polymer backbone to achieve and rationalize enhancements in gas sensitivities and electronic stability in air. NO₂- and NH₃-responsive polymer-based organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are described with improved air stability compared to all-thiophene conjugated polymers. Five DPP-fluorene-based polymers were synthesized and compared to two control polymers and used as active layers to detect a concentration of NO₂ at least as low as 0.5 ppm. The hypothesis that the less electron-donating fluorene main-chain subunit would lead to increased signal/drift compared to thiophene and carbazole subunits was tested. The sensitivities exhibited a bias voltage-dependent behavior. The proportional on-current change of OFETs using a dithienyl DPP-fluorene polymer reached ∼614% for an exposure to 20 ppm of NO₂ for 5 min, testing at a bias voltage of -33 V, among the higher reported NO₂ sensitivities for conjugated polymers. Electronic and morphological studies reveal that introduction of the fluorene unit in the DPP backbone decreases the ease of backbone oxidation and induces traps in the thin films. The combination of thin-film morphology and oxidation potentials governs the gas-absorbing properties of these materials. The ratio of responses on exposure to NO₂ and NH₃ compared to drifts while taking the device through repeated gate voltage sweeps is the highest for two polymers incorporating electron-donating linkers connecting the DPP and thiophene units in the backbone, in this category of organic semiconductors. The responses to NO₂ were much larger than that to NH₃, indicating increased susceptibility to oxidizing vs reducing gases, and that the capability of oxidizing gases to induce additional charge density has a more dramatic electronic effect than when reducing gases create traps. This work demonstrates the capability of achieving improved stability with the retention of high sensitivity in conjugated polymer-based OFET sensors by modulating redox and morphological properties of polymer semiconductors by structural control.

Impact of Hydrogen Bonds Limited Dipolar Disorder in High-k Polymer Gate Dielectric on Charge Carrier Transport in OFET

The paper contributes to the characterization and understanding the mutual interactions of the polar polymer gate dielectric and organic semiconductor in organic field effect transistors (OFETs). It has been shown on the example of cyanoethylated polyvinylalcohol (CEPVA), the high-k dielectric containing strong polar side groups, that the conditions during dielectric layer solidification can significantly affect the charge transport in the semiconductor layer. In contrast to the previous literature we attributed the reduced mobility to the broader distribution of the semiconductor density of states (DOS) due to a significant dipolar disorder in the dielectric layer. The combination of infrared (IR), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and broadband dielectric (BDS) spectroscopy confirmed the presence of a rigid hydrogen bonds network in the CEPVA polymer. The formation of such network limits the dipolar disorder in the dielectric layer and leads to a significantly narrowed distribution of the density of states (DOS) and, hence, to the higher charge carrier mobility in the OFET active channel made of 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene. The low temperature drying process of CEPVA dielectric results in the decreased energy disorder of transport states in the adjacent semiconductor layer, which is then similar as in OFETs equipped with the much less polar poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVP). Breaking hydrogen bonds at temperatures around 50 °C results in the gradual disintegration of the stabilizing network and deterioration of the charge transport due to a broader distribution of DOS.

Experimental and Computational Analyses of Temperature Distributions in Slope-Type Thin-Film Thermoelectric Generators at Different Slope Angles and Evaluation of Their Thermoelectric Performance

Thin-film thermoelectric generators are not widely used mainly because it is difficult to provide a temperature difference (ΔT) within the generators. To solve this problem, in our previous study, we prepared slope-type thin-film thermoelectric generators (STTEGs) using electrodeposition and transferred processes. A thin-film generator including n-type Bi2Te3 and p-type Sb2Te3 thin films was attached on slope blocks made of polydimethylsiloxane. In this study, the slope angle of STTEGs was optimized based on experimental results and computational analyses using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). With the increase in the slope angle, the ΔT began increasing and became saturated at a slope angle of 58°, and this trend was also confirmed by experimental measurements. When the heat source temperature was set at 65 °C, the ΔT computationally reached 26 K at a slope angle of 58°, and the maximum output power was 46.1 nW. Therefore, we demonstrated that the highest performance of STTEGs with an optimal slope angle can be estimated by combining the experimental results and computational analyses.

Polymer/Graphene oxide nanocomposite thin film for NO2 sensor: An in situ investigation of electronic, morphological, structural, and spectroscopic properties

The higher operating temperature of metal oxide and air instability of organic based NO₂ sensor causes extremely urgent for development of a reliable low cost sensor to detect NO₂ at room temperature. Therefore, we present a fabrication of large area Polymer/GO nano hybrid thin film for polymer thin film transistors (PTFTs) based NO₂ sensors assisted via facile method named 'spreading-solidifying (SS) method', grown over air/liquid interface and successive investigation of effect of NO₂ on film via several characterizations. The PTFTs sensor has demonstrated swift and high response towards low concentration of NO₂ gas with air stability and provided real time non-invasive type NO₂ sensor. Herein, we are reporting the nanohybrid PBTTT/GO composite based PTFT sensor with good repeatability and sensor response for low concentration NO₂. The thin film grown via SS technique has reported very good adsorption/desorption of target analyte having response/recovery time of 75 s/523 s for 10 ppm concentration of NO₂ gas. It has been observed that % change in drain current (sensor response) saturated with increasing concentration of NO₂. The transient analysis demonstrates the fast sensor response and recovery time. Furthermore, in order to understand the insight of high performance of sensor, effect of NO₂ on nanohybrid film and sensing mechanism, an in situ investigations was conducted via multiple technique viz. spectral, electronic, structural, and morphological characterization. Finally, the performance of sensor and the site of adsorption of NO₂ at polymer chains were argued using schematic diagram. This work shows the simple fabrication process for mass production, low cost and room temperature operated gas sensors for monitoring the real-time environment conditions and gives an insight about the sensing mechanism adsorption site of NO₂.

Selective Ammonia-Sensing Platforms Based on a Solution-Processed Film of Poly(3-Hexylthiophene) and p-Doping Tris(Pentafluorophenyl)Borane

Here, we fabricate ammonia sensors based on organic transistors by using poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) blended with tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (TPFB) as an active layer. As TPFB is an efficient p-type dopant for P3HT, the current level of the blend films can be easily modulated by controlling the blend ratio. The devices exhibit significantly increased on-state and off-state current levels owing to the ohmic current originated from the large number of charge carriers when the active polymer layer contains TPFB with concentrations up to 20 wt % (P3HT:TPFB = 8:2). The current is decreased at 40 wt % of TPFB (P3HT:TPFB = 6:4). The P3HT:TPFB blend with a weight ratio of 9:1 exhibits the highest sensing performances for various concentrations of ammonia. The device exhibits an increased percentage current response compared to that of a pristine P3HT device. The current response of the P3HT:TPFB (9:1) device at 100 ppm of ammonia is as high as 65.8%, 3.2 times that of the pristine P3HT (20.3%). Furthermore, the sensor based on the blend exhibits a remarkable selectivity to ammonia with respect to acetone, methanol, and dichloromethane, owing to the strong interaction between the Lewis acid (TPFB) and Lewis base (ammonia).

Computationally aided design of a high-performance organic semiconductor: the development of a universal crystal engineering core

Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of a suite of molecules based on a benzodithiophene "universal crystal engineering core". After computationally screening derivatives, a trialkylsilylethyne-based crystal engineering strategy was employed to tailor the crystal packing for use as the active material in an organic field-effect transistor. Electronic structure calculations were undertaken to reveal derivatives that exhibit exceptional potential for high-efficiency hole transport. The promising theoretical properties are reflected in the preliminary device results, with the computationally optimized material showing simple solution processing, enhanced stability, and a maximum hole mobility of 1.6 cm2 V-1 s-1.

Solution-processed organic field-effect transistors using directed assembled carbon nanotubes and 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT)

Achieving low-cost fabrication of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) has long been pursued in the semiconductor industry. Solution-based process allows the fabrication of OFETs cost-effective because of its merit of vacuum-free and room temperature operation. Here, we show a facile and scalable fabrication of solution-processed OFETs using carbon nanotube (CNT) as source/drain electrodes and 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) as semiconducting layer on silicon as well as on flexible and transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates. The CNT electrodes and the C8-BTBT film are fabricated using a dip coating-based directed assembly process, and two dip coating parameters, the pulling speed and the solution concentration, are carefully chosen so that the thickness of the C8-BTBT film is close to that of the CNT electrodes. The fabricated OFET devices show typical p-channel behavior. Low-cost, ease of processing, wafer level scalability and good compatibility with various substrates make the fabrication process presented in this paper well suited for next-generation electronics and sensors.

Reusable nano-BG-FET for point-of-care estimation of ammonia and urea in human urine

A back-gate-field-effect-transistor (BG-FET) has been developed to selectively detect ammonia and urea. The BG-FET was prepared on a p-type Si substrate with an n-type channel of CdS-TiO₂ nanocomposite and poly-methyl methacrylate film as dielectric layer. The reusability of the sensor was ensured by putting it as a cover to a chamber where samples were detected. The BG-FET showed an increase in drain current with the increase in ammonia release from chamber because higher numbers of charge carriers were created when ammonia adsorped on CdS-TiO₂ nanostructures. Control experiments suggested that the variation in current-to-voltage response of BG-FET could also be calibrated to measure the activity of a host of other hazardous gases. The lowest concentration of ammonia detected was ∼0.85 ppm with a response time of 30 s at a gate voltage of 0.5 V or less, which were superior than available field effect transistors ammonia sensors. Addition of urease in urine liberated ammonia equivalent to urea content in urine, which could be detected by the proposed BGFET. The urea-urease enzyme catalysis reaction made the sensor specific in detecting the biomarker. The accuracy, sensitivity, and reusability of the device was found to be suitable to develop a point-of-care testing device for ammonia and urea detection.

Solution-Processed Organic Field-Effect Transistors with High Performance and Stability on Paper Substrates

High-performance operationally stable organic field-effect transistors were successfully fabricated on a PowerCoat HD 230 paper substrate with a TIPS-pentacene:polystyrene blend as the active layer and poly(4-vinylphenol)/HfO₂ as the hybrid gate dielectric. The fabricated devices exhibited excellent p-channel characteristics with a maximum and av field effect mobility of 0.44 and 0.22(±0.11) cm² V^-1 s^-1, respectively, av threshold voltage of 0.021(±0.63) V, and current on-off ratio of ∼10⁵ while operating at -10 V. These devices exhibited remarkable stability under effects of gate bias stress and large number of repeated transfer scans with negligible performance spread. In addition, these devices displayed very stable electrical characteristics after long exposure periods to humidity and an excellent shelf life of more than 6 months in ambient environment. Thermal stress at high temperatures however deteriorates the device characteristics because of the generation and propagation of cracks in the active semiconductor crystals. Furthermore, novel paper-based phototransistors have been demonstrated with these devices.

Synthesis and structural analysis of dimethylaminophenyl-end-capped diketopyrrolopyrrole for highly stable electronic devices with polymeric gate dielectric

The synthesis and structural analysis of DPP(PhNMe₂)₂, a stable diketopyrrolopyrrole derivative end-capped with a strongly electron-donating dimethylaminophenyl moiety is reported and the origin of ambient stability is analyzed in detail.

Proving Scalability of an Organic Semiconductor To Print a TFT-Active Matrix Using a Roll-to-Roll Gravure

Organic semiconductor-based thin-film transistors' (TFTs) charge-carrier mobility has been enhanced up to 25 cm²/V s through the improvement of fabrication methods and greater understanding of the microstructure charge-transport mechanism. To expand the practical feasibility of organic semiconductor-based TFTs, their electrical properties should be easily accessed from the fully printed devices through a scalable printing method, such as a roll-to-roll (R2R) gravure. In this study, four commercially available organic semiconductors were separately formulated into gravure inks. They were then employed in the R2R gravure system (silver ink for printing gate and drain-source electrodes and BaTiO₃ ink for printing dielectric layers) for printing 20 × 20 TFT-active matrix with the resolution of 10 pixels per inch on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) foils to attain electrical properties of organic semiconductors a practical printing method. Electrical characteristics (mobility, on-off current ratio, threshold voltage, and transconductance) of the R2R gravure-printed 20 × 20 TFT-active matrices fabricated with organic semiconducting ink were analyzed statistically, and the results showed more than 98% device yield and 50 % electrical variations in the R2R gravure TFT-active matrices along the PET web.

Direct Detection of Dilute Solid Chemicals with Responsive Lateral Organic Diodes

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) have emerged as promising sensors targeting chemical analytes in vapors and liquids. However, the direct detection of solid chemicals by OFETs has not been achieved. Here for the first time, we describe the direct detection of solid chemical analytes by organic electronics. An organic diode structure based on a horizontal side-by-side p-n junction was adopted and shown to be superior to OFETs for this purpose. The diodes showed more than 40% current decrease upon exposure to 1 ppm melamine powders. The estimated detection limit to melamine can potentially reach the ppb range. This is the first demonstration of an electronic signal from an interaction between a solid and an organic p-n junction directly, which suggests that our lateral organic diodes are excellent platforms for the development of future sensors when direct detection of solid chemicals is needed. The approach developed here is general and can be extended to chemical sensors targeting various analytes, opening unprecedented opportunities for the development of low-cost and high-performance solid chemical sensors.

Light-induced magnetoresistance in solution-processed planar hybrid devices measured under ambient conditions

We report light-induced negative organic magnetoresistance (OMAR) measured in ambient atmosphere in solution-processed 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) planar hybrid devices with two different device architectures. Hybrid electronic devices with trench-isolated electrodes (HED-TIE) having a channel length of ca. 100 nm fabricated in this work and, for comparison, commercially available pre-structured organic field-effect transistor (OFET) substrates with a channel length of 20 µm were used. The magnitude of the photocurrent as well as the magnetoresistance was found to be higher for the HED-TIE devices because of the much smaller channel length of these devices compared to the OFETs. We attribute the observed light-induced negative magnetoresistance in TIPS-pentacene to the presence of electron-hole pairs under illumination as the magnetoresistive effect scales with the photocurrent. The magnetoresistance effect was found to diminish over time under ambient conditions compared to a freshly prepared sample. We propose that the much faster degradation of the magnetoresistance effect as compared to the photocurrent was due to the incorporation of water molecules in the TIPS-pentacene film.

HED-TIE: A wafer-scale approach for fabricating hybrid electronic devices with trench isolated electrodes

Organic-inorganic hybrid electronic devices (HEDs) offer opportunities for functionalities that are not easily obtainable with either organic or inorganic materials individually. In the strive for down-scaling the channel length in planar geometry HEDs, the best results were achieved with electron beam lithography or nanoimprint lithography. Their application on the wafer level is, however, cost intensive and time consuming. Here, we propose trench isolated electrode (TIE) technology as a fast, cost effective, wafer-level approach for the fabrication of planar HEDs with electrode gaps in the range of 100 nm. We demonstrate that the formation of the organic channel can be realized by deposition from solution as well as by the thermal evaporation of organic molecules. To underline one key feature of planar HED-TIEs, namely full accessibility of the active area of the devices by external stimuli such as light, 6,13-bis (triisopropylsilylethynyl) (TIPS)-pentacene/Au HED-TIEs are successfully tested for possible application as hybrid photodetectors in the visible spectral range.

Gas Sensors Based on Polymer Field-Effect Transistors

This review focuses on polymer field-effect transistor (PFET) based gas sensor with polymer as the sensing layer, which interacts with gas analyte and thus induces the change of source-drain current (ΔI_SD). Dependent on the sensing layer which can be semiconducting polymer, dielectric layer or conducting polymer gate, the PFET sensors can be subdivided into three types. For each type of sensor, we present the molecular structure of sensing polymer, the gas analyte and the sensing performance. Most importantly, we summarize various analyte–polymer interactions, which help to understand the sensing mechanism in the PFET sensors and can provide possible approaches for the sensor fabrication in the future.

Optimized synthesis of π-extended squaraine dyes relevant to organic electronics by direct (hetero)arylation and Sonogashira coupling reactions

This study reports on the synthesis and characterization of four molecular π-extended squaraine compounds relevant to the field of organic electronics.