Nanocorrugation-Reorganized PEDOT:PSS Electrochemical Transistors for Ultrasensitive Biomolecular Detection
12 affiliations
- 1Department of BioNano Technology
- 2Gachon University
- 3Department of Health Sciences and Technology, GAIHST
- 4College of Medicine
- 5Department of Chemical Engineering, Kwangwoon University, 20 Kwangwoon-Ro, Nowon-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 01897
- 6Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology
- 7Seoul National University
- 8Department of Biomedical Engineering
- 9Yonsei University
- 10Neuroscience of Health Sciences and Technology
- 11Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon University
- 12School of Chemical, Biological and Battery Engineering
Abstract
Although electrolyte-gated organic transistor (EGOT) biosensors enable label-free volumetric biosensing, their sensitivity in physiological environments remains fundamentally limited by poor polymer microstructure ordering and inefficient ion–channel coupling. This paper introduces EGOTs with geometrically reconfigured mixed ionic–electronic transport enabled by nanocorrugated poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) channels. PEDOT:PSS films conformally deposited onto nanoscale corrugated SiO2/Si substrates undergo curvature-induced local chain reorganization and topography-guided nanoscale redistribution of PEDOT- and PSS-associated regions. These changes are associated with enhanced π–π stacking, improved polymer ordering, and more efficient gate–channel coupling. Compared with flat counterparts, the nanocorrugated devices exhibit improved ion accessibility, transconductance, and threshold-voltage modulation. The proposed platform enables ultrasensitive detection of nucleic acids and stroke-related protein biomarkers in buffer, serum, and whole blood, achieving a threshold-based measured DNA LOD of 20 aM in buffer, while statistically significant separation from negative controls begins at 200 aM; IL-6 is detected down to 1 fM under the tested buffer conditions. Electrochemical measurements and structural analysis reveal polymer chain alignment confined within the corrugation valleys and enhanced mixed ionic-electronic coupling. Overall, nanoscale corrugation enables a previously unexplored route to tune ion transport, reconfigure the polymer network, and enhance volumetric transduction in conducting polymer EGOTs, thereby facilitating robust biosensing under physiologically relevant environments.
Related
- High ambipolar mobility fluorinated MXene for ultrasensitive biosensing transistors
- Stretchable Wireless Sensing-Computing Biointerfaces Enabled by High-Voltage Megahertz Electrochemical Transistors
- Organic electrochemical transistors for metabolite sensing across the transition from in vitro to in vivo
- MOF / juniper leaf biochar hybrid for ultrasensitive and selective electrochemical detection of carbendazim in food
- Poly(Alkoxythiophene) Rod‐Coil Block Copolymers for Organic Electrochemical Transistors
BibTeX
@misc{faramarzi2026nanocorrugationreorganized,
title = {{Nanocorrugation-Reorganized PEDOT:PSS Electrochemical Transistors for Ultrasensitive Biomolecular Detection}},
author = {Vahid Faramarzi and Nik Humaidi Nik Zulkarnine and Geon Ko and Daehyeon Yoo and Chang Woo Byun and Hee-Soo Kim and Ju Hyun Lee and Sang won Lee and Insu Park and Keun-A Chang and Daegun Kim and Michael Taeyoung Hwang},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15008314/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008314/v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Nanocorrugation-Reorganized PEDOT:PSS Electrochemical Transistors for Ultrasensitive Biomolecular Detection
AU - Vahid Faramarzi
AU - Nik Humaidi Nik Zulkarnine
AU - Geon Ko
AU - Daehyeon Yoo
AU - Chang Woo Byun
AU - Hee-Soo Kim
AU - Ju Hyun Lee
AU - Sang won Lee
AU - Insu Park
AU - Keun-A Chang
AU - Daegun Kim
AU - Michael Taeyoung Hwang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/04
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15008314/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008314/v1
AB - Although electrolyte-gated organic transistor (EGOT) biosensors enable label-free volumetric biosensing, their sensitivity in physiological environments remains fundamentally limited by poor polymer microstructure ordering and inefficient ion–channel coupling. This paper introduces EGOTs with geometrically reconfigured mixed ionic–electronic transport enabled by nanocorrugated poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) channels. PEDOT:PSS films conformally deposited onto nanoscale corrugated SiO2/Si substrates undergo curvature-induced local chain reorganization and topography-guided nanoscale redistribution of PEDOT- and PSS-associated regions. These changes are associated with enhanced π–π stacking, improved polymer ordering, and more efficient gate–channel coupling. Compared with flat counterparts, the nanocorrugated devices exhibit improved ion accessibility, transconductance, and threshold-voltage modulation. The proposed platform enables ultrasensitive detection of nucleic acids and stroke-related protein biomarkers in buffer, serum, and whole blood, achieving a threshold-based measured DNA LOD of 20 aM in buffer, while statistically significant separation from negative controls begins at 200 aM; IL-6 is detected down to 1 fM under the tested buffer conditions. Electrochemical measurements and structural analysis reveal polymer chain alignment confined within the corrugation valleys and enhanced mixed ionic-electronic coupling. Overall, nanoscale corrugation enables a previously unexplored route to tune ion transport, reconfigure the polymer network, and enhance volumetric transduction in conducting polymer EGOTs, thereby facilitating robust biosensing under physiologically relevant environments.
ER -