Single‐Cell Membrane Potential Stimulation and Recording by an Electrolyte‐Gated Organic Field‐Effect Transistor

• Published in: Advanced electronic materials Vol. 11; no. 2
• Main Authors: Lago, Nicolò, Galli, Alessandra, Tonello, Sarah, Ruiz‐Molina, Sara, Marino, Saralea, Casalini, Stefano, Buonomo, Marco, Pisu, Simona, Mas‐Torrent, Marta, Giorgi, Giada, Pedersen, Morten Gram, Bortolozzi, Mario, Cester, Andrea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.02.2025; Wiley-VCH
• Subjects: Biocompatibility; cell activity recording; Cell membranes; cell stimulation; EGOFET; Electrodes; Electrolytes; Electrolytic cells; Medical devices; organic Elctronics; Polystyrene resins; Recording; Sensors; Spatial resolution; Stimulation; Transistors
• ISSN: 2199-160X; 2199-160X
• DOI: 10.1002/aelm.202400134

The reliable stimulation and recording of electrical activity in single cells by means of organic bio‐electronics will be an important milestone in developing new low‐cost and highly biocompatible medical devices. This paper demonstrates extracellular voltage stimulation and single‐cell membrane potential recording by means of a dual‐gate electrolyte‐gated organic field‐effect transistors (EGOFET) employing 2,8‐Difluoro‐5,11‐bis(triethylsilylethynyl)anthradithiophene blended with polystyrene as active material. To obtain a sufficiently small footprint to allow bidirectional communication at the single cell level, the EGOFET technology has been scaled down implementing a Corbino layout, paving the way to the development of novel bidirectional Electrocorticography (ECoG) devices with a high spatial resolution. A specific and thorough analysis of the working mechanisms of EGOFET‐based bio‐sensors is reported, highlighting the importance of the device design and using an appropriate batch of measurements for the recording of the electrical activity of cells. A dual‐gate electrolyte‐gated organic field‐effect transistor is employed for extracellular voltage stimulation and single‐cell membrane potential recording. The dual operation allows a bidirectional communication at the single cell level, thereby paving the way to a new paradigm for the design of novel Electrocorticography devices with improved spatio‐temporal resolution.