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3D cell models have made strides in the past decades in response to failures of 2D cultures to translate targets during the drug discovery process. Here, we report on a novel multiwell plate bioelectronic platform, namely, the e-transmembrane, capable of supporting and monitoring complex 3D cell architectures. Scaffolds made of PEDOT:PSS [poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate] are microengineered to function as separating membranes for compartmentalized cell cultures, as well as electronic components for real-time in situ recordings of cell growth and function. Owing to the high surface area–to–volume ratio, the e-transmembrane allows generation of deep, stratified tissues within the porous bulk and cell polarization at the apico-basal domains. Impedance spectroscopy measurements carried out throughout the tissue growth identified signatures from different cellular systems and allowed extraction of critical functional parameters. This platform has the potential to become a universal tool for biologists for the next generation of high-throughput drug screening assays.

Semiconducting polymers with oligoethylene glycol sidechains have attracted strong research interest for organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) applications. However, key molecular design rules for high-performance OECTs via efficient mixed electronic/ionic charge transport are still unclear. Herein, we synthesize and characterize new glycolated copolymers (gDPP-TTT and gDPP-TTVTT) with diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) acceptor and thiophene-based (TTT or TTVTT) donor units for accumulation mode OECTs, where a long-alkyl-group (C12 ) attached to DPP unit acts as a spacer distancing the oligoethylene glycol from the polymer backbone. gDPP-TTVTT shows the highest OECT transconductance (61.9 S cm-1 ) and high operational stability, compared to gDPP-TTT and their alkylated counterparts. Surprisingly, gDPP-TTVTT also shows high electronic charge mobility in field-effect transistor, suggesting efficient ion injection/diffusion without hindering its efficient electronic charge transport. The elongated donor unit (TTVTT) facilitates the hole polaron formation more localized to the donor unit, leading to faster and easier polaron formation with less impact on polymer structure during OECT operation, as opposed to the TTT unit. This is supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. We conclude that these simultaneously high electronic and ionic charge transport properties are achieved due to the long-alkyl-group spacer in amphipathic sidechains, providing an important molecular design rule for glycolated copolymers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Three-dimensional in vitro stem cell models has enabled a fundamental understanding of cues that direct stem cell fate and be used to develop novel stem cell treatments. While sophisticated 3D tissues can be generated, technology that can accurately monitor these complex models in a high-throughput and non-invasive manner is not well adapted. Here we show the development of 3D bioelectronic devices based on the electroactive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) - PEDOT:PSS and their use for non-invasive, electrical monitoring of stem cell growth. We show that the electrical, mechanical and wetting properties as well as the pore size/architecture of 3D PEDOT:PSS scaffolds can be fine-tuned simply by changing the processing crosslinker additive. We present a comprehensive characterization of both 2D PEDOT:PSS thin films of controlled thicknesses, and 3D porous PEDOT:PSS structures made by the freeze-drying technique. By slicing the bulky scaffolds we show that homogeneous, porous 250 um thick PEDOT:PSS slices are produced, generating biocompatible 3D constructs able to support stem cell cultures. These multifunctional membranes are attached on Indium-Tin oxide substrates (ITO) with the help of an adhesion layer that is used to minimize the interface charge resistance. The optimum electrical contact result in 3D devices with a characteristic and reproducible, frequency dependent impedance response. This response changes drastically when human adipose derived stem cells grow within the porous PEDOT:PSS network as revealed by fluorescence microscopy. The increase of these stem cell population within the PEDOT:PSS porous network impedes the charge flow at the interface between PEDOT:PSS and ITO, enabling the interface resistance to be extracted by equivalent circuit modelling, used here as a figure of merit to monitor the proliferation of stem cells. The strategy of controlling important properties of 3D PEDOT:PSS structures simply by altering processing parameters can be applied for development of a number of stem cell in vitro models. We believe the results presented here will advance 3D bioelectronic technology for both fundamental understanding of in vitro stem cell cultures as well as the development of personalized therapies.

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease characterized by bone loss and bone microarchitectural deterioration. The combination of smart materials and stem cells represents a new therapeutic approach. In the present study, highly porous scaffolds are prepared by combining the conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS with collagen type I, the most abundant protein in bone. The inclusion of collagen proves to be an effective way to modulate their mechanical properties and it induces an increase in scaffolds’ electrochemical impedance. The biomimetic scaffolds support neural crest-derived stem cell osteogenic differentiation, with no need for scaffold pre-conditioning contrarily to other reports.

Bioelectronics have made strides in improving clinical diagnostics and precision medicine. The potential of bioelectronics for bidirectional interfacing with biology through continuous, label-free monitoring on one side and precise control of biological activity on the other has extended their application scope to

Transmembrane proteins (TMPs) regulate processes occurring at the cell surface and are essential gatekeepers of information flow across the membrane. TMPs are difficult to study, given the complex environment of the membrane and its influence on protein conformation, mobility, biomolecule interaction, and activity. For the first time, we create mammalian biomembranes supported on a transparent, electrically conducting polymer surface, which enables dual electrical and optical monitoring of TMP function in its native membrane environment. Mammalian plasma membrane vesicles containing ATP-gated P2X2 ion channels self-assemble on a biocompatible polymer cushion that transduces the changes in ion flux during ATP exposure. This platform maintains the complexity of the native plasma membrane, the fluidity of its constituents, and protein orientation critical to ion channel function. We demonstrate the dual-modality readout using microscopy to characterize protein mobility by single-particle tracking and sensing of ATP gating of P2X2 using electrical impedance spectroscopy. This measurement of TMP activity important for pain sensing, neurological activity, and sensory activity raises new possibilities for drug screening and biosensing applications.

Low-voltage operation in accumulation mode organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) is essential for biosensing applications and for potential use with low-voltage portable power supplies. Here, we employ a small molecule additive, dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBSA), by adding it to the electrolyte in OECTs to improve the device performance. We find that DBSA lowers the operation voltage, increases the ON current, and increases the transconductance of the device. Such improvements are found for a range of p-type polymers including P3HT, PBTTT and DPPT-TT which have different electronic and structural properties. To investigate the device operational mechanism modulated by DBSA, we directly probe the molecular structure changes of three polymers upon charge injection (i.e. polaron formation) and correlate them to polaron density and OECT performance. We find that the electrolyte mixture (containing DBSA) enhances the electrochemical doping of the polymer by lowering the onset of oxidation and allowing the generation of a higher polaron density. For example, for P3HT the VON value decreases to 0.05 V, the ON current increases by ∼3 times, and the transconductance (gm) increases to 4 mS, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest transconductance of P3HT OECT reported. These results demonstrate a simple, but effective way of using a small molecule additive, such as DBSA, and a possibility to utilise otherwise unsuitable polymers with deep highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels, for low-power accumulation mode OECTs.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00363.].

Conducting polymer scaffolds can promote cell growth by electrical stimulation, which is advantageous for some specific type of cells such as neurons, muscle, or cardiac cells. As an additional feature, the measure of their impedance has been demonstrated as a tool to monitor cell growth within the scaffold. In this work, we present innovative conducting polymer porous scaffolds based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT):xanthan gum instead of the well-known PEDOT:polystyrene sulfonate scaffolds. These novel scaffolds combine the conductivity of PEDOT and the mechanical support and biocompatibility provided by a polysaccharide, xanthan gum. For this purpose, first, the oxidative chemical polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene was carried out in the presence of polysaccharides leading to stable PEDOT:xanthan gum aqueous dispersions. Then, by a simple freeze-drying process, porous scaffolds were prepared from these dispersions. Our results indicated that the porosity of the scaffolds and mechanical properties are tuned by the solid content and formulation of the initial PEDOT:polysaccharide dispersion. Scaffolds showed interconnected pore structure with tunable sizes ranging between 10 and 150 μm and Young's moduli between 10 and 45 kPa. These scaffolds successfully support three-dimensional cell cultures of MDCK II eGFP and MDCK II LifeAct epithelial cells, achieving good cell attachment with very high degree of pore coverage. Interestingly, by measuring the impedance of the synthesized PEDOT scaffolds, the growth of the cells could be monitored.

Stem cell osteogenic differentiation is a complex process, associated with a number of events such as the secretion of collagen type I, osteopontin, osteonectin, osteocalcin and Bone Morphogenic Protein 2 (BMP-2). These molecules can be used as markers to monitor stem cell fate while studying the effects of a specific osteogenic differentiation treatment (e.g. electrical stimulation). Currently available techniques, such as the evaluation of the expression levels of specific genes and end-point biochemical assays, do not allow real-time monitoring of cellular processes, therefore overlooking potentially interesting information. This study explores a promising functionalization strategy towards on-line electrical monitoring of stem cell osteogenic differentiation process, using an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) to detect cytokines of interest, secreted by cells during the osteogenic differentiation process, such as BMP-2. In this work, antibodies against BMP-2 were anchored on the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) gate electrode of an OECT. The biofunctionalization process was evaluated using multiple techniques such as atomic force microscopy, electrochemical Raman spectroscopy, quartz crystal microbalance. Electrode properties were assessed by running chronoamperometric studies, as well as by characterizing the PEDOT:PSS thin film resistance to ion flow by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and OECT performance using transient (AC) measurements. Finally, a proof-of-concept, biosensor measurement was performed to test our functionalization strategy for sensing, proving that the antibody-functionalized OECTs were able to detect recombinant BMP-2 at levels that are comparable to those used for in vitro stimulation of bone regeneration via soluble osteoinductive factors.

Antibiotic discovery has experienced a severe slowdown in terms of discovery of new candidates. In vitro screening methods using phospholipids to model the bacterial membrane provide a route to identify molecules that specifically disrupt bacterial membranes causing cell death. Thanks to the electrically insulating properties of the major component of the cell membrane, phospholipids, electronic devices are highly suitable transducers of membrane disruption. The organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) is a highly sensitive ion-to-electron converter. Here, the OECT is used as a transducer of the permeability of a lipid monolayer (ML) at a liquid:liquid interface, designed to read out changes in ion flux caused by compounds that interact with, and disrupt, lipid assembly. This concept is illustrated using the well-documented antibiotic Polymixin B and the highly sensitive quantitation of permeability of the lipid ML induced by two novel recently described antibacterial amine-based oligothioetheramides is shown, highlighting molecular scale differences in their disruption capabilities. It is anticipated that this platform has the potential to play a role in front-line antimicrobial compound design and characterization thanks to the compatibility of semiconductor microfabrication technology with high-throughput readouts.

International audience; Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are a versatile diagnostic tool to study neural networks. Culture of primary neurons on these platforms allows for extracellular recordings of action potentials. Despite many advances made in the technology to improve such recordings, the recording yield on MEAs remains sparse. Here, enhanced recording yield is shown induced by varying cell densities on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)coated MEAs. It is demonstrated that high cell densities (900 cells mm −2) of primary cortical cells increase the number of recording electrodes by 53.1% ± 11.3%, compared with low cell densities (500 cells mm −2) with 6.3% ± 1.4%. To further improve performance, 3D clusters known as neurospheres are cultured on the MEAs, significantly increasing single unit activity recordings. Extensive spike sorting is performed to analyze the unit activity recording multiple neurons with a single microelectrode. Finally, patterning of polyethylene glycol diacrylate through laser ablation is demonstrated, as a means to more precisely confine neurospheres on top of the electrodes. The possibility of recording single neurons with multiple neighboring electrodes is shown. Overall, a total recording yield of 21.4% is achieved, with more than 90% obtained from electrodes with neurospheres, maximizing the functionality of these planar MEAs as effective tools to study pharmacology-based effects on neural networks.

Functionalized acenes have proven to be promising compounds in the field of molecular electronics because of their unique features in terms of the stability, performance, and ease of processing. The emerging concept of large-area-compatible techniques for flexible electronics has brought about a wide variety of well-established techniques for the deposition of soluble acenes, with spray-coating representing an especially fruitful approach. In the present study, electrostatic spray deposition is proposed as an alternative to the conventional spray-coating processes, toward the realization of high-performance organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), on both rigid and flexible substrates. Particularly, a thorough study on the effect of the solvent and spraying regime on the resulting crystalline film's morphology is performed. By optimization of the process conditions in terms of control over the size as well as the crystallization scheme of the droplets, desirable morphological features along with high-quality crystal domains are obtained. The fabricated OFETs exhibit excellent electrical characteristics, with high field-effect mobility up to 0.78 cm(2)/(V s), I(on)/I(off)10(4), and near-zero threshold voltages. Additionally, the good performance of the OFETs realized on plastic substrates gives great potentiality to the proposed method for applications in the challenging field of large-area electronics.

Electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds have been extensively used in several biomedical applications for tissue engineering due to their morphological resemblance to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Especially, there is a need for the cardiovascular implants to exhibit a nanostructured surface that mimics the native endothelium in order to promote endothelialization and to reduce the complications of thrombosis and implant failure. Thus, we herein fabricated poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds, to serve as coatings for cardiovascular implants and guide tissue regeneration. Oxygen plasma treatment was applied in order to modify the surface chemistry of the scaffold and its effect on cell attachment and growth was evaluated. The conditions of the surface modification were properly adjusted in order to define those conditions of the treatment that result in surfaces favorable for cell growth, while maintaining morphological integrity and mechanical behavior. Goniometry (contact angle measurements), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were used to evaluate the morphological and chemical changes induced by the plasma treatment. Moreover, depth-sensing nanoindentation was performed to study the resistance of the plasma-treated scaffolds to plastic deformation. Lastly, the cell studies indicated that all scaffolds were cytocompatible, with the plasma-treated ones expressing a more pronounced cell viability and adhesion. All the above findings demonstrate the great potential of these biomimetic tissue-engineering constructs as efficient coatings for enhanced compatibility of cardiovascular implants.

Oppositely charged polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) were built up in a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly on top of the conducting polymer channel of an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT), aiming to combine the advantages of well-established PEMs with a high performance electronic transducer. The multilayered film is a model system to investigate the impact of biofunctionalization on the operation of OECTs comprising a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) film as the electrically active layer. Understanding the mechanism of ion injection into the channel that is in direct contact with charged polymer films provides useful insights for novel biosensing applications such as nucleic acid sensing. Moreover, LbL is demonstrated to be a versatile electrode modification tool enabling tailored surface features in terms of thickness, softness, roughness, and charge. LbL assemblies built up on top of conducting polymers will aid the design of new bioelectronic platforms for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and medical diagnostics.

Conducting polymers have shown great potential as a means to interface electronics with living tissues, toward a plethora of different biological applications ranging from in vitro to in vivo systems. However, the development of effective functionalization approaches to render this interface biomimetic still remains rather challenging, due to the lack of inherent surface functionalities in such polymers. Here, a straightforward and versatile modification strategy of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) surfaces is demonstrated for preferential and spatially confined cell adhesion and growth. By combining three simple surface modification steps, including chemical modification using self-assembled monolayers and their selective laser ablation, this study is able to design either cell-adhesive or cell-repulsive patterns of various shapes on PEDOT:PSS films. Studies using Madin–Darby canine kidney II epithelial cells reveal preferential cell adhesion and growth with good precision following the preformed patterns. The proposed surface modification approach can be extended to encompass a variety of polymeric biomaterials, without affecting their bulk properties.

Triisopropylsilylethynyl-pentacene (TIPS-PEN) has proven to be one of the most promising small molecules in the field of molecular electronics, due to its unique features in terms of stability, performance and ease of processing. Among a wide variety of well-established techniques for the deposition of TIPS-PEN, blade-metered methods have recently gained great interest towards the formation of uniform crystalline films over a large area. Following this rationale, we herein designed a versatile approach based on blade-coating, which overcomes the problem of anisotropic crystal formation by manipulating the solvent evaporation behaviour, in a way that brings about a preferential degree of crystal orientation. The applicability of this method was evaluated by fabricating field-effect transistors on glass as well as on silicon dioxide/silicon (SiO2/Si) substrates. Interestingly, in an attempt to improve the rheological and wetting behaviour of the liquid films on the SiO2/Si substrates, we introduced a polymeric interlayer of polystyrene (PS) or polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) which concurrently acts as passivation and crystallization assisting layer. In this case, the synergistic effects of the highly-ordered crystalline structure and the oxide surface modification were thoroughly investigated. The overall performance of the fabricated devices revealed excellent electrical characteristics, with high saturation mobilities up to 0.72 cm2 V−1 s−1 (on glass with polymeric dielectric), on/off current ratio >104 and low threshold voltage values (

Spray-coating techniques have recently emerged as especially effective approaches for the deposition of small semiconducting molecules toward the fabrication of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). Despite the promising mobility values and the industrial implementation capability of such techniques, the resultant devices still face challenges in terms of morphology control and performance variation. In this work, the efficient process control of electrostatic spraying deposition (ESD) and the excellent film forming properties of polymer:small molecule blends were successfully combined to develop reliable and high performance transistors. Specifically, a highly efficient blended system of 2,8-difluoro-5,11-bis(triethylsilylethynyl)-anthradithiophene (diF-TES-ADT) and poly(triarylamine) (PTAA) was employed in order to realize top-gate OFETs under ambient conditions, both on rigid and on flexible substrates. The films revealed extensive crystallization and microstructural organization implying distinct phase separation in the electrosprayed blend. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of processing temperature on film continuity and the presence of grain boundaries. Remarkably, the electrosprayed OFETs exhibited field-effect mobilities as high as 1.7 cm2 V−1 s−1 and enhanced performance consistency when compared to conventional gas-sprayed transistors. Additionally, the transistors showed excellent electrical and environmental stability, indicative of the good interface quality and the self-encapsulation capability of the top-gate structure. These results highlight the great potential of electrohydrodynamic atomization techniques for implementation in large-area processing for OFET fabrication.

In the present work we compare the performance of organic solar cells, based on the bulk heterojunction system of P3HT:PCBM when adequate silver nanoparticles (NPs) are incorporated in two distinct places among the device structure. Introduction of NPs on top of the transparent anode revealed better overall performance with an increased efficiency of 17%. Alternatively, placing the NPs on top of the active photovoltaic layer resulted to 25% higher photo-current generation albeit with inferior electrical characteristics (i.e series and shunt resistance). Our findings suggest that enhanced scattering to non-specular directions from NPs site is maximized when penetrating light meets the particles after the polymer blend, but even this mechanism is not sufficient enough to explain the enhanced short circuit current observed. A second mechanism should be feasible; that is plasmon enhancement which is more efficient in the case where NPs are in direct contact with the polymer blend. J-V characteristics measured in the dark showed that NPs placed on top of the ITO film act as enhanced hole conducting sites, as evident by the lower series resistance values in these cells, suggesting this mechanism as more significant in this case. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells

In organic electronics solution-processable n-channel field-effect transistors (FETs) matching the parameters of the best p-channel FETs are needed. Progress toward the fabrication of such devices is strongly impeded by a limited number of suitable organic semiconductors as well as by the lack of processing techniques that enable strict control of the supramolecular organization in the deposited layer. Here, the use of N,N′-bis(4-n-butylphenyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic-1,4:5,8-bisimide (NBI-4-n-BuPh) for fabrication of n-channel FETs is described. The unidirectionally oriented crystalline layers of NBI-4-n-BuPh are obtained by the zone-casting method under ambient conditions. Due to the bottom-contact, top-gate configuration used, the gate dielectric, Parylene C, also acts as a protective layer. This, together with a sufficiently low LUMO level of NBI-4-n-BuPh allows the fabrication and operation of these novel n-channel transistors under ambient conditions. The high order of the NBI-4-n-BuPh molecules in the zone-cast layer and high purity of the gate dielectric yield good performance of the transistors.

The achievement of the desirable morphology at the nanometer scale of bulk heterojunctions consisting of a conjugated polymer with fullerene derivatives is a prerequisite in order to optimize the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells. The various experimental conditions such as the choice of solvent, drying rates and annealing have been found to significantly affect the blend morphology and the final performance of the photovoltaic device. In this work, we focus on the effects of post deposition thermal annealing at 140 °C on the blend morphology, the optical and structural properties of bulk heterojunctions that consist of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and a methanofullerene derivative (PCBM). The post thermal annealing modifies the distribution of the P3HT and the PCBM inside the blend films, as it has been found by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry studies in the visible to far-ultraviolet spectral range. Phase separation was identified by AFM and GIXRD as a result of a slow drying process which took place after the spin coating process. The increase of the annealing time resulted to a significant increase of the P3HT crystallinity at the top regions of the blend films.

Nanostructured polymer–fullerene thin films are among the most prominent materials for application in high efficient polymer solar cells. Specifically, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and fullerene derivatives (PCBM) blends are used as the donor/acceptor materials forming a bulk heterojunction. Although P3HT:PCBM properties have been extensively studied, less light has been set on its nanomechanical properties, which affect the device service life. In this work Atomic Force Acoustic Microscopy (AFAM), Atomic Force Spectroscopy and Nanoindentation were used to study the effect of the fullerene presence and the annealing on the P3HT:PCBM nanomechanical behavior. The P3HT:PCBM thin films were prepared by spin coating on glass substrates and then annealed at 100 °C and 145 °C for 30 min. Large phase separation was identified by optical and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for the annealed samples. Needle-like PCBM crystals were formed and an increase of the polymer crystallinity degree with the increase of the annealing temperature was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. AFAM characterization revealed the presence of aggregates close to stiff PCBM crystals, possibly consisting of amorphous P3HT material. AFM force–distance curves showed a continuous change in stiffness in the vicinity of the PCBM crystals, due to the PCBM depletion near its crystals, and the AFM indentation provided qualitative results about the changes in P3HT nanomechanical response after annealing.

Picosecond pulsed laser (10.4 ps, 1064 nm, 5 and 50 kHz) patterning studies were performed, of PEDOT:PSS thin films of varying thickness deposited by spin coating on glass substrates, by ablating the films or by changing locally by laser irradiation the optical and electrical properties of the polymer. From a detailed observation of the morphology of single pulse ablated holes on the surfaces of the films, in combination with simple calculations, it is concluded that photomechanical ablation is the likely ablation mechanism of the films. The single pulse ablation thresholds were measured equal to 0.13–0.18 J/cm2 for films with thicknesses in the region of ∼100–600 nm. The implications on ablation line patterning of the films using different fluences, scanning speeds and pulse repetition rates, were investigated systematically. Laser irradiation of the films before ablation induces a metal–insulator transition of the polymer because of the formation of charge localization due to a possible creation of molecular disorder in the polymer and shortening of its conjugation length.

Aluminum doped ZnO (AZO) 2 wt.% and un-doped ZnO thin films of different thickness were deposited by Pulsed DC Magnetron Sputtering onto Poly-Ethylene Terephthalate (PET) substrates, whereas PEDOT:PSS was spin-coated onto the AZO/PET. The optical properties of the samples were measured by in-situ Spectroscopic Ellipsometry in the Vis–fUV energy range (1.5–6.5 eV), where it was found that the ZnO energy gap decreases after a critical thickness while it remains constant for AZO thin films. Electrical characterization of ZnO films shows that the films exhibit metallic behavior independently of their thickness. Also, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy revealed the growth of polycrystalline ZnO onto PET substrates. Concerning the PEDOT: PSS/AZO/PET materials, the thickness of the AZO films has been found to affects neither the fundamental energy gap nor the other absorption peaks of PEDOT: PSS.

ZnO thin films of different thicknesses were deposited by pulsed direct-current magnetron sputtering onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates and afterwards poly 3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) was spin-coated onto the ZnO film. Spectroscopic ellipsometry in the Vis―fUV energy range (1.5―6.5 eV), X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy were used to reveal the properties of the deposited films. The size of crystallites increased from 5.1 to 7.4 nm, whereas the crystallinity of the ZnO films has been improved. The influence of different ZnO thickness on the optical properties of the PEDOT:PSS layer was studied as well. As the thickness of ZnO films increased, the surface roughness increased but the energy gap decreased after a critical thickness. Concerning the consequences to the PEDOT: PSS optical properties, no major changes occurred in the transition energies.

Aromatic aliphatic polyethers containing bis(styryl)anthracene units in the main chain separated by flexible spacer of 11 (AND52) or 12 (AND53) methylene units, were synthesized and characterized aiming to be applied as emitting materials in polymer light emitting diode (PLED) devices. The polymers are soluble in common organic solvents and have average molecular weight of about 15kDa. Differentiations owing to an odd-even number of methylene units (χ=11 vs χ=12) are observed in their optical properties in solid state. Thin films as well as PLED devices were fabricated via conventional spin-coating process. Initially, various parameters have been investigated concerning the solubility of the polymers, the effect of film thickness on the electrical properties, and their thermal stability. The optical properties of the two polymers were investigated by NIR-Vis-far UV spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The accurate determination of the thickness and the optical constants (refractive index and dielectric function as a function of wavelength) were derived. These provide substantial insights into the final design of the optimum final multi-layer structure of the PLEDs, if we take into account that the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of electroluminescence (EL) strongly depends on the optical interference of the beams of emitted light that have been multiply reflected from the layer interfaces. The morphological characterization of the AND52 and AND53 polymeric thin films was carried out using atomic force microscopy (AFM), while current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics of the devices were studied by electrical measurements. The single PLED devices were switched on at relatively low operation voltages, showing the potential as backplanes for active matrix PLED applications. In this perspective, it can be assumed that further studies of the presented materials will enable the development of flexible PLEDs with the possibility to scale up their dimensions for bigger active area devices.

This work reports the design of a live-cell monitoring platform based on a macroporous scaffold of a conducting polymer, poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate). The conducting polymer scaffolds support 3D cell cultures due to their biocompatibility and tissue-like elasticity, which can be manipulated by inclusion of biopolymers such as collagen. Integration of a media perfusion tube inside the scaffold enables homogenous cell spreading and fluid transport throughout the scaffold, ensuring long term cell viability. This also allows for co-culture of multiple cell types inside the scaffold. The inclusion of cells within the porous architecture affects the impedance of the electrically conducting polymer network and, thus, is utilized as an in situ tool to monitor cell growth. Therefore, while being an integral part of the 3D tissue, the conducting polymer is an active component, enhancing the tissue function, and forming the basis for a bioelectronic device with integrated sensing capability.

We compare the performance of a typical hole transport layer for organic photovoltaics (OPVs), Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) thin film with a series of PEDOT:PSS layers doped with silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) of various size distributions. These hybrid layers have attracted great attention as buffer layers in plasmonic OPVs, although there is no report up to date on their isolated performance. In the present study we prepared a series of PEDOT:PSS layers sandwiched between indium tin oxide (ITO) and gold (Au) electrodes. Ag NPs were deposited on top of the ITO by electron beam evaporation followed by spin coating of PEDOT:PSS. Electrical characterization performed in the dark showed linear resistive behavior for all the samples; lower resistance was observed for the hybrid ones. It was found that the resistivity of the samples decreases with increasing the particle's size. A substantial increase of the electric field between the ITO and the Au electrodes was seen through the formation of current paths through the Ag NPs. A striking observation is the slight increase in the slope of the current density versus voltage curves when measured under illumination for the case of the plasmonic layers, indicating that changes in the electric field in the vicinity of the NP due to plasmonic excitation is a non-vanishing factor.

The performance of polymer–fullerene bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells is strongly dependent on the vertical distribution of the donor and acceptor regions within the BHJ layer. In this work, we investigate in detail the effect of the hole transport layer (HTL) physical properties and the thermal annealing on the BHJ morphology and the solar cell performance. For this purpose, we have prepared solar cells with four distinct formulations of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) buffer layers. The samples were subjected to thermal annealing, applied either before (pre-annealing) or after (post-annealing) the cathode metal deposition. The effect of the HTL and the annealing process on the BHJ ingredient distribution – namely, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) – has been studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy. The results revealed P3HT segregation at the top region of the films, which had a detrimental effect on all pre-annealed devices, whereas PCBM was found to accumulate at the bottom interface. This demixing process depends on the PEDOT:PSS surface energy; the more hydrophilic the surface the more profound is the vertical phase separation within the BHJ. At the same time those samples suffer from high recombination losses as evident from the analysis of the J–V measurements obtained in the dark. Our results underline the significant effect of the HTL–active and active–ETL (electron transport layer) interfacial composition that should be taken into account during the optimization of all polymer–fullerene solar cells.

[EN] Bioelectronics have made strides in improving clinical diagnostics and precision medicine. The potential of bioelectronics for bidirectional interfacing with biology through continuous, label-free monitoring on one side and precise control of biological activity on the other has extended their application scope to in vitro systems. The advent of microfluidics and the considerable advances in reliability and complexity of in vitro models promise to eventually significantly reduce or replace animal studies, currently the gold standard in drug discovery and toxicology testing. Bioelectronics are anticipated to play a major role in this transition offering a much needed technology to push forward the drug discovery paradigm. Organic electronic materials, notably conjugated polymers, having demonstrated technological maturity in fields such as solar cells and light emitting diodes given their outstanding characteristics and versatility in processing, are the obvious route forward for bioelectronics due to their biomimetic nature, among other merits. This review highlights the advances in conjugated polymers for interfacing with biological tissue in vitro, aiming ultimately to develop next generation in vitro systems. We showcase in vitro interfacing across multiple length scales, involving biological models of varying complexity, from cell components to complex 3D cell cultures. The state of the art, the possibilities, and the challenges of conjugated polymers toward clinical translation of in vitro systems are also discussed throughout. R.O. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant Agreement No. 723951). This material is also based upon work supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under award number FA8655-20-1-7021 to RMO. A.M.P. acknowledges funding from the Oppenheimer Junior Research Fellowship and the Maudslay-Butler Research Fellowship at Pembroke College, Cambridge. D.v.N. is funded by the W.D Armstrong Trust Fund and the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust. Y.F. and D.I. were funded by the European Space Agency project BONUS. J.S. acknowledges funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant, ICE METs (No. 842356). A.J.B. acknowledges support from his Cross-disciplinary Fellowship (Grant No. LT000034/2020-C) from the Human Frontier Science Program Organization. A.S. acknowledges funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant, MultiStem (No. 895801).

Conducting polymer scaffolds combine the soft-porous structures of scaffolds with the electrical properties of conducting polymers. In most cases, such functional systems are developed by combining an insulating scaffold matrix with electrically conducting materials in a 3D hybrid network. However, issues arising from the poor electronic properties of such hybrid systems, hinder their application in many areas. This work reports on the design of a 3D electroactive scaffold, which is free of an insulating matrix. These 3D polymer constructs comprise of a water soluble conducting polymer (PEDOT:PSS) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The insertion of the MWCNTs in the 3D polymer matrix directly contributes to the electron transport efficiency, resulting in a 7-fold decrease in resistivity values. The distribution of CNTs, as characterized by SEM and Raman spectroscopy, further define the micro- and nano-structural topography while providing active sites for protein attachment, thereby rendering the system suitable for biological/sensing applications. The resulting scaffolds, combine high porosity, mechanical stability and excellent conducting properties, thus can be suitable for a variety of applications ranging from tissue engineering and biomedical devices to (bio-) energy storage.