PEDOT:PSS-Based Prolonged Long-Term Decay Synaptic OECT with Proton-Permeable Material, Nafion

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electronics
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is a conductive polymer used in organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs).
• Controlling PEDOT:PSS conductivity with gate voltage in OECTs is challenging.
• Diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-ene (DBN) can stabilize PEDOT doping via chemical de-doping.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance OECT performance and conductivity control.
• To enable tunable synaptic properties for neuromorphic computing.
• To investigate the effects of Nafion integration into PEDOT:PSS channel layers.

Main Methods:

• Chemical de-doping of PEDOT:PSS using DBN.
• Incorporation of proton-penetrable Nafion into the PEDOT:PSS channel layer.
• Fabrication and characterization of OECTs with PEDOT:PSS:Nafion composite channels.

Main Results:

• Nafion addition induced phase separation in the PEDOT:PSS channel.
• Enhanced ion movement into the channel improved OECT performance.
• Tunable synaptic properties including pulse-paired facilitation and plasticity were achieved.

Conclusions:

• PEDOT:PSS:Nafion composite channels offer improved OECT performance and conductivity control.
• The integration of Nafion allows for the modulation of synaptic functions in OECTs.
• This research advances neuromorphic computing and biomimetic technologies through enhanced electronic components.