The scientists say that their invention contains internal, ion-gated, organic electrochemical transistors that are more easily controlled chemically, biologically and electronically to living tissues than rigid, silicon-based technologies.
These transistors can function in sensitive parts of the body and conform to organ structures even as they grow.
Typical bioelectronics are made from materials that are unyielding as well as presenting the risk of toxicity to the patient once implanted in sensitive areas.
The researchers resolved this problem by creating the transistors in an asymmetric fashion that allows them to operate using a single biocompatible material.
By arraying transistors into smaller, single polymer materials helps simplify the fabrication process which allows large scale manufacturing to expand the technology beyond the original neurological application to any biopotential process.
In addition, the device can be implanted in a developing animal and withstand transitions in tissue structures as the organism grows, something that is not possible with hard, silicon-based implants.
“We demonstrated our ability to create robust complementary, integrated circuits that are capable of high-quality acquisition and processing of biological signals,” said project co-author Dion Khodagholy. Complementary, internal, ion-gated, organic electrochemical transistors “will substantially broaden the application of bioelectronics to devices that have traditionally relied on bulky, nonbiocompatible components.”
