A wearable in-sensor computing platform based on stretchable organic electrochemical transistors | Nature Electronics

Nature Electronics (2024)Cite this article 2796 Accesses 1 Altmetric Metrics details Organic electrochemical transistors could be used in in-sensor computing and wearable healthcare applications.

Nature Electronics (2024)Cite this article

2796 Accesses

1 Altmetric

Metrics details

Organic electrochemical transistors could be used in in-sensor computing and wearable healthcare applications. However, they lack the conformity and stretchability needed to minimize mechanical mismatch between the devices and human body, are challenging to fabricate at a scale with small feature sizes and high density, and require miniaturized readout systems for practical on-body applications. Here we report a wearable in-sensor computing platform based on stretchable organic electrochemical transistor arrays. The platform offers more than 50% stretchability by using an adhesive supramolecular buffer layer during fabrication that improves robustness at interfaces under strain. We fabricate stretchable transistor arrays with feature sizes down to 100 μm using a high-resolution six-channel inkjet printing system. We also develop a coin-sized data readout system for biosignal acquisition. We show that our coin-sized, smartwatch-compatible electronic module can provide wearable in-sensor edge computing.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals

Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription

$29.99 / 30 days

cancel any time

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles

$119.00 per year

only $9.92 per issue

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

The code used for RC is available via GitHub at https://github.com/HKU-WISE-Group/OECT-RC.

Xu, C., Solomon, S. A. & Gao, W. Artificial intelligence-powered electronic skin. Nat. Mach. Intell. 5, 1344–1355 (2023).

Article Google Scholar

Moin, A. et al. A wearable biosensing system with in-sensor adaptive machine learning for hand gesture recognition. Nat. Electron. 4, 54–63 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Hartmann, M., Hashmi, U. S. & Imran, A. Edge computing in smart health care systems: review, challenges, and research directions. Trans. Emerging Tel. Techn. 33, e3710 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Dai, S. et al. Intrinsically stretchable neuromorphic devices for on-body processing of health data with artificial intelligence. Matter 5, 3375–3390 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Wan, T. et al. In-sensor computing: materials, devices, and integration technologies. Adv. Mater. 35, 2203830 (2023).

Article Google Scholar

Zhou, F. & Chai, Y. Near-sensor and in-sensor computing. Nat. Electron. 3, 664–671 (2020).

Article Google Scholar

Dai, Y., Hu, H., Wang, M., Xu, J. & Wang, S. Stretchable transistors and functional circuits for human-integrated electronics. Nat. Electron. 4, 17–29 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Kim, H.-J., Sim, K., Thukral, A. & Yu, C. Rubbery electronics and sensors from intrinsically stretchable elastomeric composites of semiconductors and conductors. Sci. Adv. 3, e1701114 (2017).

Article Google Scholar

Guan, Y.-S. et al. Elastic electronics based on micromesh-structured rubbery semiconductor films. Nat. Electron. 5, 881–892 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Khodagholy, D. et al. In vivo recordings of brain activity using organic transistors. Nat. Commun. 4, 1575 (2013).

Article Google Scholar

Van De Burgt, Y. et al. A non-volatile organic electrochemical device as a low-voltage artificial synapse for neuromorphic computing. Nat. Mater. 16, 414–418 (2017).

Article Google Scholar

Gkoupidenis, P., Schaefer, N., Strakosas, X., Fairfield, J. A. & Malliaras, G. G. Synaptic plasticity functions in an organic electrochemical transistor. Appl. Phys. Lett. 107, 263302 (2015).

Article Google Scholar

Wang, S. et al. An organic electrochemical transistor for multi-modal sensing, memory and processing. Nat. Electron. 6, 281–291 (2023).

Article Google Scholar

Rivnay, J. et al. Organic electrochemical transistors. Nat. Rev. Mater. 3, 17086 (2018).

Article Google Scholar

Oldroyd, P., Gurke, J. & Malliaras, G. G. Stability of thin film neuromodulation electrodes under accelerated aging conditions. Adv. Funct. Mater. 33, 2208881 (2023).

Article Google Scholar

Liu, Y. et al. Morphing electronics enable neuromodulation in growing tissue. Nat. Biotechnol. 38, 1031–1036 (2020).

Article Google Scholar

Bai, J. et al. Coin-sized, fully integrated, and minimally invasive continuous glucose monitoring system based on organic electrochemical transistors. Sci. Adv. 10, eadl1856 (2024).

Article Google Scholar

Bai, J., Liu, D., Tian, X. & Zhang, S. Tissue-like organic electrochemical transistors. J. Mater. Chem. C 10, 13303–13311 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Li, N. et al. Bioadhesive polymer semiconductors and transistors for intimate biointerfaces. Science 381, 686–693 (2023).

Article Google Scholar

Wu, X. et al. Universal spray-deposition process for scalable, high-performance, and stable organic electrochemical transistors. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 12, 20757–20764 (2020).

Article Google Scholar

Zhang, S. et al. Tuning the electromechanical properties of PEDOT:PSS films for stretchable transistors and pressure sensors. Adv. Electron. Mater. 5, 1900191 (2019).

Article Google Scholar

Zhang, S. et al. Patterning of stretchable organic electrochemical transistors. Chem. Mater. 29, 3126–3132 (2017).

Article Google Scholar

Marchiori, B., Delattre, R., Hannah, S., Blayac, S. & Ramuz, M. Laser-patterned metallic interconnections for all stretchable organic electrochemical transistors. Sci. Rep. 8, 8477 (2018).

Article Google Scholar

Boda, U., Petsagkourakis, I., Beni, V., Andersson Ersman, P. & Tybrandt, K. Fully screen-printed stretchable organic electrochemical transistors. Adv. Mater. Technol. 8, 2300247 (2023).

Article Google Scholar

Chen, J. et al. Highly stretchable organic electrochemical transistors with strain-resistant performance. Nat. Mater. 21, 564–571 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Lee, W. et al. Nonthrombogenic, stretchable, active multielectrode array for electroanatomical mapping. Sci. Adv. 4, eaau2426 (2018).

Article Google Scholar

Li, Y., Wang, N., Yang, A., Ling, H. & Yan, F. Biomimicking stretchable organic electrochemical transistor. Adv. Electron. Mater. 5, 1900566 (2019).

Article Google Scholar

Zhong, D. et al. High-speed and large-scale intrinsically stretchable integrated circuits. Nature 627, 313–320 (2024).

Article Google Scholar

Liu, D. et al. Intrinsically stretchable organic electrochemical transistors with rigid-device-benchmarkable performance. Adv. Sci. 9, 2203418 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Lacour, S. P., Chan, D., Wagner, S., Li, T. & Suo, Z. Mechanisms of reversible stretchability of thin metal films on elastomeric substrates. Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 204103 (2006).

Article Google Scholar

Paulsen, B. D., Tybrandt, K., Stavrinidou, E. & Rivnay, J. Organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors. Nat. Mater. 19, 13–26 (2020).

Article Google Scholar

Kindaichi, S., Matsubara, R., Kubono, A., Yamamoto, S. & Mitsuishi, M. Preparation of resilient organic electrochemical transistors based on blend films with flexible crosslinkers. Preprint at https://chemrxiv.org/engage/chemrxiv/article-details/6441ed8fe4bbbe4bbffc4bb0 (2023).

Kang, J. et al. Tough-interface-enabled stretchable electronics using non-stretchable polymer semiconductors and conductors. Nat. Nanotechnol. 17, 1265–1271 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Lei, Z. & Wu, P. A highly transparent and ultra-stretchable conductor with stable conductivity during large deformation. Nat. Commun. 10, 3429 (2019).

Article Google Scholar

Appeltant, L. et al. Information processing using a single dynamical node as complex system. Nat. Commun. 2, 468 (2011).

Article Google Scholar

Ji, X. et al. Mimicking associative learning using an ion-trapping non-volatile synaptic organic electrochemical transistor. Nat. Commun. 12, 2480 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Liang, X., Luo, Y., Pei, Y., Wang, M. & Liu, C. Multimode transistors and neural networks based on ion-dynamic capacitance. Nat. Electron. 5, 859–869 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Paudel, P. R., Skowrons, M., Dahal, D., Radha Krishnan, R. K. & Lüssem, B. The transient response of organic electrochemical transistors. Adv. Theory Simul. 5, 2100563 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Friedlein, J. T., McLeod, R. R. & Rivnay, J. Device physics of organic electrochemical transistors. Org. Electron. 63, 398–414 (2018).

Article Google Scholar

Du, C. et al. Reservoir computing using dynamic memristors for temporal information processing. Nat. Commun. 8, 2204 (2017).

Article Google Scholar

Sun, L. et al. In-sensor reservoir computing for language learning via two-dimensional memristors. Sci. Adv. 7, eabg1455 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Milano, G. et al. In materia reservoir computing with a fully memristive architecture based on self-organizing nanowire networks. Nat. Mater. 21, 195–202 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Zhong, Y. et al. Dynamic memristor-based reservoir computing for high-efficiency temporal signal processing. Nat. Commun. 12, 408 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Moon, J. et al. Temporal data classification and forecasting using a memristor-based reservoir computing system. Nat. Electron. 2, 480–487 (2019).

Article Google Scholar

Tian, X. et al. Pushing OECTs toward wearable: development of a miniaturized analytical control unit for wireless device characterization. Anal. Chem. 94, 6156–6162 (2022).

Kim, K. K. et al. A substrate-less nanomesh receptor with meta-learning for rapid hand task recognition. Nat. Electron. 6, 64–75 (2023).

Google Scholar

Cucchi, M. et al. Reservoir computing with biocompatible organic electrochemical networks for brain-inspired biosignal classification. Sci. Adv. 7, eabh0693 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Spyropoulos, G. D., Gelinas, J. N. & Khodagholy, D. Internal ion-gated organic electrochemical transistor: a building block for integrated bioelectronics. Sci. Adv. 5, eaau7378 (2019).

Article Google Scholar

Friedlein, J. T., Donahue, M. J., Shaheen, S. E., Malliaras, G. G. & McLeod, R. R. Microsecond response in organic electrochemical transistors: exceeding the ionic speed limit. Adv. Mater. 28, 8398–8404 (2016).

Article Google Scholar

Xu, Z. et al. A highly-adhesive and self-healing elastomer for bio-interfacial electrode. Adv. Funct. Mater. 31, 2006432 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Download references

We thank P. K. L. Chan, C. Wong, J. Chan and P. S. Yip from the HKU Central Fabrication Lab for support on device fabrication, N. Wong and X. Meng for discussions on the low-power biochips, K. Wu, S. Xue and C. Li for discussions on materials synthesis, and N. Tien and C. K. Chui for generous support on the printing facilities and wet lab resources at Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing. S.Z. acknowledges the Collaborative Research Fund (C7005-23Y) and the Theme-based Research Scheme (T45-701/22-R) from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong SAR Government; Innovation and Technology Fund (Mainland-Hong Kong Joint Funding Scheme, MHP/053/21, MHP/066/20) from the Hong Kong SAR Government; and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macau Technology Research Programme (SGDX20210823103537034) from the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Committee. The PERfECT readout platform is funded by the HKU Innovation Wing Two Research Fund and Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities (TSSSU/HKU/23/13).

These authors contributed equally: Dingyao Liu, Xinyu Tian, Jing Bai, Shaocong Wang.

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

Dingyao Liu, Xinyu Tian, Jing Bai, Shaocong Wang, Shilei Dai, Yan Wang, Zhongrui Wang & Shiming Zhang

School of Microelectronics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China

Zhongrui Wang

State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

Shiming Zhang

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

S.Z., Z.W. and D.L. conceived the idea. S.Z. acquired funding and supervised the whole research. D.L., X.T., J.B. and S.W. conducted the experiments and collected the data. X.T., J.B. and S.W. contributed to the algorithm design and simulation. S.Z., X.T. and J.B. designed the PERfECT readout system for wearable data analysis. X.T. and J.B. coded the AI-embedded program in PERfECT for in-sensor computing with an ISOECT array. D.L., X.T., J.B. and Y.W. contributed to the fabrication of the ISOECT array. D.L., X.T., Y.W. and S.D. contributed to the ISOECT device characterization. S.Z. and D.L. drafted the manuscript. All authors contributed to revising the manuscript.

Correspondence to Zhongrui Wang or Shiming Zhang.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Nature Electronics thanks Sahika Inal and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Figs. 1–26.

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

Liu, D., Tian, X., Bai, J. et al. A wearable in-sensor computing platform based on stretchable organic electrochemical transistors. Nat Electron (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-024-01250-9

Download citation

Received: 10 October 2023

Accepted: 21 August 2024

Published: 02 October 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-024-01250-9

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

White Paper: The Details of Signal Isolators, Converters and Interfaces

Circuit Breaker Mechanical Characteristics Monitoring System Market Size, Share, Growth, and Forecast (2024-2032) – News in Assen