Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2024, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (5): 824-841.doi: 10.1007/s40242-024-4176-4

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Non-invasive Healthcare Analytical Platform Based on Organic Electrochemical Transistors

HU Xingyu1, MAO Ning1, YAN Xinwen2, HUANG Ling1, LIU Xu1, YANG Huige1, SUN Qingqing1, LIU Xuying1, JIA Hanyu1,3   

  1. 1. School of Materials & Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China;
    2. Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Energy Materials Chemistry of Ministry of Education & Hubei Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials Science, Hubei R&D Center of Hyperbranched Polymers Synthesis and Applications, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China;
    3. Science & Technology Innovation Center for Advanced Materials of Intelligent Equipment, Longmen Laboratory, Luoyang 471000, P. R. China
  • Received:2024-08-13 Online:2024-10-01 Published:2024-09-26
  • Contact: JIA Hanyu,jiahy@zzu.edu.cn E-mail:jiahy@zzu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province,China (No.232300421324),the Graduate Education Reform Project of Henan Province,China (No.2023SJGLX136Y),the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.22201309),and the Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation,China (No.2021CFB200).

Abstract: Non-invasive bioelectronics, especially organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), have drawn extensive attentions of academical and medical communities by virtue of their efficient bio-electronic interfacing, water-involved ionic transport, excellent ionic-electronic coupling, ultralow power consumption, wide detectable range, and outstanding detection sensitivity. Designable structure diversity, low-temperature solution processability, facile bio/chemical functionalization, and excellent biocompatibility of organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs) render OECTs particularly suitable for non-invasive or minimally invasive healthcare analytical platform. Here, we comprehensively review recent advances of the non-invasive analytical healthcare applications based on OECTs, especially on the detection of biomarkers or metabolites in the excretory biofluids, as well as the recording of electrophysiological signals. A brief introduction of OECT and its comparison with other organic thin-film transistors upon device configuration and working mechanism are firstly discussed. State-of-the-art non-invasive OECT-based biosensors are summarized on their detection of ionic and molecular biomarkers, following with circuit design strategies of OECTs for real-time and in-situ electrophysiological recording from skin surface. In conclusion, remaining barriers and future challenges of non-invasive OECT-based bioelectronics towards lower detection limit, more accurate quantitative relationship between analyte concentrations and measured parameters, more intimate device-tissue interface, and long-term operation stability are deeply analyzed with a critical outlook.

Key words: Organic electrochemical transistor, Non-invasive, Bioelectronics, Ion-selective, Electrophysiological monitoring