Title: Engineering Conjugated Polymers for Biosensors

Abstract: Conducting both ionic and electronic charge carriers, conjugated polymers are impacting on a large variety of biology-related applications as the electronic material interfacing with living systems. A device type that has predominantly utilized these polymers as its active component is the organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) – an electrolyte gated transistor used for comprehensive study on the thin film properties of a series of conjugated polymers and evaluate how systematic chemical modifications impact on the electrochemical activity of these materials, thereof the device operation. I will demonstrate the importance of characterizing the properties of these films in-situ for drawing conclusions related to their performance. I will present two cases where modifications in the chemistry of materials are the key for developing OECTs that can detect metabolites in bodily fluids or pick up signals from lipid bilayers. Highlighting the materials properties that enable operation in electrolytes and improve communication with biological systems, this work provides an understanding of materials-device performance relations for the development of next generation organic bioelectronic devices.