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Multilayered organic semiconductors for high performance optoelectronic stimulation of cells

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Abstract

The efficiency of devices for bioelectronic applications, including cell and tissue stimulation, is heavily dependent on the scale and the performance level. With miniaturization of stimulation electrodes, achieving a sufficiently high current pulse to elicit action potentials becomes an issue. Herein we report on our approach of vertically stacking organic p-n junctions to create highly-efficient multilayered organic semiconductor (MOS) photostimulation device. A tandem arrangement substantially increases the photovoltage and charge density without sacrificing lateral area, while not exceeding 200–500 nm of thickness. These devices generate 4 times higher voltages and at least double the charge densities over single p-n junction devices, which allow using lower light intensities for stimulation. MOS devices show an outstanding stability in the electrolyte that is extremely important for forthcoming in vivo experiments. Finally, we have validated MOS devices performance by photostimulating fibroblasts and neuroblasts, and found that using tandem devices leads to more effective action potential generation. As a result, we obtained up to 4 times enhanced effect in cell growth density using 3 p-n layered devices. These results corroborate the conclusion that MOS technology not only can achieve parity with state-of-the-art silicon devices, but also can exceed them in miniaturization and performance for biomedical applications.

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Acknowledgements

Research at Sechenov University was funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (No. 075-15-2021-596).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Bionic Technologies and Engineering, I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Aleksandr Markov, Alexander Gerasimenko, Annie-Kermen Boromangnaeva, Sofia Shashova, Elena Iusupovskaia & Dmitry Telyshev

  2. Institute of Biomedical Systems, National Research University of Electronic Technology, Zelenograd, Moscow, 124498, Russia

    Alexander Gerasimenko, Ulyana Kurilova, Mikhail Savelyev & Dmitry Telyshev

  3. Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1/3, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Vita Nikitina

  4. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, N. F. Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, 123098, Russia

    Irina Suetina & Marina Mezentseva

  5. World-Class Research Center “Digital Biodesign and Personalized Healthcare”, I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Aleksandr Markov, Ulyana Kurilova & Peter Timashev

  6. Laboratory of Clinical Smart Nanotechnologies, I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Mikhail Savelyev, Peter Timashev & Xing-Jie Liang

  7. Institute for Regenerative Medicine, I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Peter Timashev

  8. CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China, Beijing, 100190, China

    Xing-Jie Liang

  9. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Xing-Jie Liang

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  1. Aleksandr Markov
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  2. Alexander Gerasimenko
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  3. Annie-Kermen Boromangnaeva
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  5. Elena Iusupovskaia
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  6. Ulyana Kurilova
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  7. Vita Nikitina
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Correspondence to Aleksandr Markov.

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Markov, A., Gerasimenko, A., Boromangnaeva, AK. et al. Multilayered organic semiconductors for high performance optoelectronic stimulation of cells. Nano Res. 16, 5809–5816 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-5130-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-5130-8

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