Developments of Flexible Printed Organic FET Biosensors

Abstract

Over the past decade, we have been researching organic field-effect transistor (OFET) devices processed using various printable materials. One of the more important applications for the OFET devices is in sensors for use in healthcare. The use of these devices in wearable biosensors to detect biomarkers is recently attracting significant attention. In this article, we report on the fundamental detection mechanism and device structure for OFET-based biosensors with extended gate electrodes. We present the detection results in extended-gate OFET sensors for biomarkers that include immunoglobulin, glucose, nitrate and cysteine. Furthermore, OFET-based sensors applied to the monitoring of freshness in perishable foods and the detection of toxic heavy metal ions. Lastly, a potentially wearable flexible biosensor fabricated on a plastic film substrate using printing methods is demonstrated.