Highly Resistive Biomembranes Coupled to Organic Transistors enable Ion-Channel Mediated Neuromorphic Synapses

Joshua J. Maraj; Emily A. Schafer; Michelle M. Mansour; Essraa A. Hussein; Joseph Berryman; Elizabeth Klavon; Jonathan Rivnay; Stephen A. Sarles

doi:10.1002/aelm.202400526

Highly Resistive Biomembranes Coupled to Organic Transistors enable Ion-Channel Mediated Neuromorphic Synapses

Joshua J. Maraj, Emily A. Schafer, Michelle M. Mansour, Essraa A. Hussein, Joseph Berryman, Elizabeth Klavon, Jonathan Rivnay^*, Stephen A. Sarles^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Biomedical Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) functionalized with lipid membranes could enable new hybrid synapses for sensing and neuromorphic computing in biological media. However, prior attempts to pair these components resulted in low quality membranes formed on the OECT surface. We present a new method for forming a highly-resistive phospholipid bilayer coupled to a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) OECT that avoids the disruptive effects of the rough polymer surface. Transistor coupled droplet bilayers (TCDBs) formed from diphytanoyl phosphatidylcholine lipids exhibit an average specific resistance that is 1000X higher than values reported for solid-supported lipid membranes assembled on PEDOT:PSS. High membrane resistance and the addition of voltage-activated ionophores enable us to demonstrate that selective ion transport and spontaneous membrane resealing in response to dynamic gate voltage imparts selective programming and memory-storage capability to an OECT without chemical modification of the PEDOT:PSS. These capabilities enable paired-pulse facilitation and depression with writing speeds and memory retentions that are both >10X higher than previously reported with membrane-coated OECTs. The high resistance of the TCDB establishes a basis for hybrid biomolecular synapses that can integrate stimuli-responsive membranes and organic electronics for future applications in sensing, signal processing, and neuromorphic computing at the edge of biology.

Original language	English (US)
Journal	Advanced Electronic Materials
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.202400526
State	Accepted/In press - 2024

Funding

This work was supported by AFOSR Grant FA9550\u201022\u20101\u20100426. S. A. S acknowledges financial support from the James Conklin Faculty Fellowship at the University of Tennessee. This work also utilized the Keck\u2010II facility of Northwestern University's NUANCE Center and Northwestern University Micro/Nano Fabrication Facility (NUFAB), which were both partially supported by Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Re\u2010source (NSF ECCS\u20101542205), the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (NSF DMR\u20101720139), the State of Illinois, and Northwestern University. Additionally, the Keck\u2010II facility is partially supported by the International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN), the Keck Foundation, and the State of Illinois, through the IIN. The authors acknowledge graphical illustrations developed by Cassandra J. Mitchell.

Keywords

alamethicin
neuromorphic
organic electrochemical transistor
PEDOT:PSS
transistor-coupled droplet bilayer

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

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10.1002/aelm.202400526

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title = "Highly Resistive Biomembranes Coupled to Organic Transistors enable Ion-Channel Mediated Neuromorphic Synapses",

abstract = "Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) functionalized with lipid membranes could enable new hybrid synapses for sensing and neuromorphic computing in biological media. However, prior attempts to pair these components resulted in low quality membranes formed on the OECT surface. We present a new method for forming a highly-resistive phospholipid bilayer coupled to a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) OECT that avoids the disruptive effects of the rough polymer surface. Transistor coupled droplet bilayers (TCDBs) formed from diphytanoyl phosphatidylcholine lipids exhibit an average specific resistance that is 1000X higher than values reported for solid-supported lipid membranes assembled on PEDOT:PSS. High membrane resistance and the addition of voltage-activated ionophores enable us to demonstrate that selective ion transport and spontaneous membrane resealing in response to dynamic gate voltage imparts selective programming and memory-storage capability to an OECT without chemical modification of the PEDOT:PSS. These capabilities enable paired-pulse facilitation and depression with writing speeds and memory retentions that are both >10X higher than previously reported with membrane-coated OECTs. The high resistance of the TCDB establishes a basis for hybrid biomolecular synapses that can integrate stimuli-responsive membranes and organic electronics for future applications in sensing, signal processing, and neuromorphic computing at the edge of biology.",

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author = "Maraj, {Joshua J.} and Schafer, {Emily A.} and Mansour, {Michelle M.} and Hussein, {Essraa A.} and Joseph Berryman and Elizabeth Klavon and Jonathan Rivnay and Sarles, {Stephen A.}",

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doi = "10.1002/aelm.202400526",

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AU - Maraj, Joshua J.

AU - Schafer, Emily A.

AU - Mansour, Michelle M.

AU - Hussein, Essraa A.

AU - Berryman, Joseph

AU - Klavon, Elizabeth

AU - Rivnay, Jonathan

AU - Sarles, Stephen A.

PY - 2024

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AB - Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) functionalized with lipid membranes could enable new hybrid synapses for sensing and neuromorphic computing in biological media. However, prior attempts to pair these components resulted in low quality membranes formed on the OECT surface. We present a new method for forming a highly-resistive phospholipid bilayer coupled to a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) OECT that avoids the disruptive effects of the rough polymer surface. Transistor coupled droplet bilayers (TCDBs) formed from diphytanoyl phosphatidylcholine lipids exhibit an average specific resistance that is 1000X higher than values reported for solid-supported lipid membranes assembled on PEDOT:PSS. High membrane resistance and the addition of voltage-activated ionophores enable us to demonstrate that selective ion transport and spontaneous membrane resealing in response to dynamic gate voltage imparts selective programming and memory-storage capability to an OECT without chemical modification of the PEDOT:PSS. These capabilities enable paired-pulse facilitation and depression with writing speeds and memory retentions that are both >10X higher than previously reported with membrane-coated OECTs. The high resistance of the TCDB establishes a basis for hybrid biomolecular synapses that can integrate stimuli-responsive membranes and organic electronics for future applications in sensing, signal processing, and neuromorphic computing at the edge of biology.

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Highly Resistive Biomembranes Coupled to Organic Transistors enable Ion-Channel Mediated Neuromorphic Synapses

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