Electrochemical transistors with ionic liquids for enzymatic sensing

Abstract

Over the past decade conducting polymer electrodes have played an important role in bio-sensing and actuation. Recent developments in the field of organic electronics have made available a variety of devices that bring unique capabilities at the interface with biology. One example is organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) that are being developed for a variety of bio-sensing applications, including the detection of ions, and metabolites, such as glucose and lactate. Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) are organic salts, which are liquid at ambient temperature. Their non- volatile character and thermal stability makes them an attractive alternative to conventional organic solvents. Here we report an enzymatic sensor based on an organic electro-chemical transistor with RTIL’s as an integral part of its structure and as an immobilization medium for the enzyme and the mediator. Further investigation shows that these platforms can be incorporated into flexible materials such as carbon cloth and can be utilized for bio-sensing. The aim is to incorporate the overall platform in a wearable sensor to improve athlete performance with regards to training. In this manuscript an introduction to ionic liquids (ILs), IL – enzyme mixtures and a combination of these novel materials being used on OECTs are presented.