A hybrid living/organic electrochemical transistor based on the Physarum polycephalum cell endowed with both sensing and memristive properties

• Published in: Chemical science (Cambridge) 2015-05, Vol.6 (5), p.2859-2868
• Main Authors: Tarabella, G, D'Angelo, P, Cifarelli, A, Dimonte, A, Romeo, A, Berzina, T, Erokhin, V, Iannotta, S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemistry
• ISSN: 2041-6520; 2041-6539
• DOI: 10.1039/c4sc03425b

A hybrid bio-organic electrochemical transistor was developed by interfacing an organic semiconductor, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrene sulfonate), with the Physarum polycephalum cell. The system shows unprecedented performances since it could be operated both as a transistor, in a three-terminal configuration, and as a memristive device in a two terminal configuration mode. This is quite a remarkable achievement since, in the transistor mode, it can be used as a very sensitive bio-sensor directly monitoring biochemical processes occurring in the cell, while, as a memristive device, it represents one of the very first examples of a bio-hybrid system demonstrating such a property. Our system combines memory and sensing in the same system, possibly interfacing unconventional computing. The system was studied by a full electrical characterization using a series of different gate electrodes, namely made of Ag, Au and Pt, which typically show different operation modes in organic electrochemical transistors. Our experiment demonstrates that a remarkable sensing capability could potentially be implemented. We envisage that this system could be classified as a Bio-Organic Sensing/Memristive Device (BOSMD), where the dual functionality allows merging of the sensing and memory properties, paving the way to new and unexplored opportunities in bioelectronics. A hybrid bio-organic electrochemical transistor based on the Physarum polycephalum cell, showing a multifunctional operation (transistor and memristive-like response), has been demonstrated.