An Organic Electrochemical Transistor Fabricated on Waxy-Sublimating Substrates

The global demand for zero-waste technologies requires the development of electronic devices with sustainable fabrication processes and (ideally) biodegradable materials and substrates. This article reports on the fabrication and electrical characterization of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)-based organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) on naturally degradable cyclododecane (CDD)-based substrates. The electrical performance of the devices is tested in a closed box flushed with nitrogen gas under ambient and different humidity conditions. The devices exhibit an <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${I} _{\text {on} }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${I} _{\text {off} }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of more than <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10^{{3}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and transconductance values up to 300 mS. As a proof of concept of the potential use of the PEDOT:PSS OECTs for biosensing and environmental monitoring, their application as pH sensors is presented. The sensitivity of 2.25 mS/pH and the signal amplification (up to 50 mS) obtained in this study offer a promising perspective that opens to the formulation of strategies for a more responsible approach to the production and recovery processes of electronic platforms, thus contributing to sustainable technological practices.