Expanding the versatility and functionality of iontronic devices

Abstract

Biological systems rarely use electrons as signal regulators, most of the transport and communication in these system utilize ions. The discovery of conjugated polymers and polyelectrolytes and their unique properties of mixed ionic electronic properties opened the possibility of using these in the domain of bioelectronics, which paved the way for the field of organic bioelectronics. After the introduction of the organic electronic ion pump (OEIP) in 2007, which utilizes both the ionic properties of conjugated polymers and polyelectrolytes, the new field of "iontronics" evolved. The OEIP is an organic polymer-based delivery system based on electrophoretic transport of biologically relevant and ionically charged species, without fluid flow and with high spatial, temporal, and dosage precision. These devices have been extensively studied for the past 14 years and have found numerous demonstrations in in vivo and in vitro delivery of bio-relevant ions for therapeutic application. This has, in parallel, resulted in the development of custom materials for ion exchange membranes (IEMs) within the OEIP.