Phys.org November 19, 2024
Organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs) have better properties than inorganic counterparts for biosensing, soft-robotics, neuromorphic computing, and smart medicine. However, slow ion transport relative to charge transport in these materials is a limiting factor. Researchers at Washington State University demonstrated that hydrophilic molecules local to an interfacial OMIEC nanochannel could accelerate ion transport with ion mobilities surpassing electrophoretic transport by more than an order of magnitude. Ion access to the interfacial channel could be gated through local surface energy. They applied the mechanism in a novel sensing device, which electronically detected and characterized chemical reaction dynamics local to the buried channel. According to the researchers the ability to enhance ion transport at the nanoscale in OMIECs as well as governing ion transport through local chemical signaling enables new functionalities for printable, stretchable, and biocompatible mixed conduction devices… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Establishing an Ion Superhighway… Credit: Advanced Materials, 19 November 2024