12.4.3 Printable/Flexible Bioelectronics

The production of printable electrical devices on plastic foils or paper is a rapidly ex­

panding area of study that has contributed to improving scientific and technological

curiosity in recent years. Flexible actuators provide various advantages, including light

weight, foldability, and wearability. When compared to wafer-based microelectronics, the

printing technique offers great ability to drastically lower fabrication costs. It also has

the potential to expand the usage of bio-sensing equipment in a range of applications to

enhance people’s living standards. Solution processing methods or printable electronics

are being used in elastic, adaptive, economical, degradable drug-delivery electronic

patches, and surgical implants. Hence, printable thin-film transistors (TFTs) [61]. Recently

progressed into greater sensors and biomedical implant frameworks for bio-interface

research. There is a range of organic and inorganic semiconductor materials suitable for

use as active channels in TFT devices that can be printed or solution treated. Pentacene,

silicon nanowires, zinc oxide, and graphene are among the materials being used [62,63].

Due to its superior physical and optical properties, comparable stability in the atmo­

sphere, and suitability with numerous printing methodologies to establish semiconducting

thin films, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) demonstrated growing potential among the many

printable electronic materials which are already been explored. With these appealing

properties, printed CNT thin films hold promise for applications such as sensors and dis­

play backplanes [64]. Because of their enhanced electronic performances, stability, and

dependability, chalcogenide compounds, nanoparticles, and a range of oxides of metals can

be solution-processed or printed [46].

The inorganic compounds can be directly printed or deposited with a precursor solu­

tion upon subsequent treatment. Inorganic materials have already been printed using an

array of printing processes, including liquid embossed, inkjet, lasers, and e-beam map­

ping [65–69]. Another application of semiconductors, such as In2O3-based FET biosensors,

facilitated pH and glucose detection (Figure 12.6). This could be possible in real time with

linear and ultra-fast detection [70].

12.5 Conclusions and Future Perspectives

Bioelectronics research efforts involve biological sciences, physics, applied physics,

chemistry, and materials science, with a focus on topics that attempt to use electronics

FIGURE 12.6

In2O3-based conformal biosensors based on field-effect transistors. Adapted with permission from [ 70].

Copyright 2015. American Chemical Society.

Semiconducting Nanostructured Materials

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