A Photo‐Patternable Solid‐State Electrolyte for High‐Performance, Miniaturized, and Implantable Organic Electrochemical Transistor‐Based Circuits
Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are crucial for next-generation (bio-)electronic devices but are often constrained by the use of aqueous electrolytes, which introduce crosstalk, hinder miniaturization, and limit circuit integration. Here, a photo-patternable solid-state electrolyte based on 𝜄-carrageenan (𝜄-CGN) and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) is presented, enabling high-performance OECTs and complementary circuits. The 𝜄-CGN electrolyte exhibits high ionic conductivity (>10 mS cm<sup>-1</sup>), comparable to a 0.1 m NaCl aqueous electrolyte, while supporting precise patterning down to 15 µm, fast transient response times, minimal hysteresis, and excellent stability in both p- and n-type OECTs. Compact solid-state NAND/NOR gates (500 × 800 µm<sup>2</sup>), 4-input NAND gates (1600 × 800 µm<sup>2</sup>, 8 OECTs), and half-adders (2 × 1 mm<sup>2</sup>, 18 OECTs) are demonstrated, all exhibiting correct logic functions and low-voltage operation. To highlight its potential for implantable bioelectronics, solid-state spiking circuits, monolithically integrated with flexible cuff electrodes, are developed for vagus nerve stimulation in mice. These findings establish 𝜄-CGN-based solid-state electrolytes as a promising platform for scalable, implantable circuits, paving the way for next-generation bioelectronic devices.
Authors
- Dace Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3451-4945)
- Deyu Tu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8875-408X)
- Qifan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9081-8564)
- Adam Marks (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9819-4349)
- Iain McCulloch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6340-7217)
- Peder S. Olofsson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3473-5948)
- Junpeng Ji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8060-7667)
- Simone Fabiano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7016-6514)
- Qi Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3528-2533)
- Yincai Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4163-0802)
- Chi‐Yuan Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4270-1131)
- Mary J. Donahue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9158-4026)
- April S. Caravaca (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6921-8700)
- Miao Xiong
- Hanyan Wu
Institutions
- Linköping University (SE)
- Princeton University (US)
- Science for Life Laboratory (SE)
- Karolinska Institutet (SE)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Wallenberg Wood Science Center (SE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Materials
- Published
- 2025-08-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202509314
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Conducting polymers and applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.64
Funders
- European Commission
- Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning
- Hjärt-Lungfonden
- Linköpings Universitet
- Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse
- Vetenskapsrådet
- Wallenberg Wood Science Center
- H2020 European Research Council