Rapid-responsive and water-stable organic electrochemical transistors enabled by supramolecular artificial ion channels.

Abstract

Directly coupling ionic fluxes to volumetric electronic transduction, organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) emulate ion-based natural signalling mechanisms and blur the boundary between abiotic electronics and living systems. However, uncontrolled water infiltration into mixed ionic-electronic (semi)conductors slows their response and compromises operational stability in physiological environments. Here, inspired by cell membranes, which precisely regulate ion and water transport through a spatially segregated dual architecture, we develop a supramolecular artificial ion-channel material. Comprising hydrogen-bonded crown ether stacks assembled within a fluorinated polymer matrix, the resulting material combines high ionic conductivity with low water permeability. OECTs operating with the ion-channel layer exhibit simultaneously enhanced temporal response and aqueous stability. Our strategy is applicable to p-type and n-type semiconductors and maintains uniform performance in high-density transistor arrays. When implanted in the rat brain, the OECT devices achieve real-time, high-fidelity monitoring of dopamine dynamics in chronic settings. By resolving the long-standing water-instability bottleneck, our approach advances OECTs towards closed-loop adaptive modulation and biohybrid computing.