Utilizing organic mixed conductors for bioelectronic devices & Driving innovation through advanced sensors and wearable technology

Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 4:00 – 5:00 PM

“Utilizing organic mixed conductors for bioelectronic devices”

Abstract:

Organic mixed ionic/electronic conductors offer promising materials properties for bridging the gap between biological and digital systems. Importantly, organic mixed conductors are water stable, biocompatible, and can efficiently convert between ionic (biological) and electronic signals. These properties have led to widespread utilization of organic mixed conductors for bioelectronic devices such as biosensors, neural interfaces, and flexible printed circuits. Typically, organic mixed conductors are used as the channel material for organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) which readily amplify biological signals. In this presentation, I will present my work to adapt the most common organic mixed conductor, PEDOT:PSS, to optimize the performance for two novel bioelectronic devices and applications. First, I will show how organic mixed conductors can be used to detect ions from human perspiration with high sensitivity and selectivity using modified OECTs by implementing ion-selective membranes. Then, I will show how the biocompatibility and chemical sensitivity of these organic neuromorphic devices enables direct coupling with biological cells to form a biohybrid synapse controlled by neurotransmitter activity.

Bio:

Scott Keene is completing his Ph.D. research and is a member of Prof. Alberto Salleo’s group in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Stanford University.  His research focuses on the use of organic mixed conductors for bioelectronic applications, including wearable biosensors and neuromorphic devices.  Scott’s research interests also include the fundamental properties of electrochemical gating in mixed conducting materials. During his Ph.D. studies, he published 16 peer-reviewed papers, including articles in Science, Nature Materials, and Advanced Materials.  Scott received the Stanford Graduate Fellowship and the Short-term Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.  He received his undergraduate degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Washington in 2015.

“Driving innovation through advanced sensors and wearable technology”

Speaker: Oxana Pantchenko, Ph.D., Engineering Program Manager, Medical Devices, NextFlex

Abstract:

Flexible hybrid electronics are delivering a new generation of medical devices that are conformal, flexible and lightweight. Our goal is to improve the patient experience through the design and development of new medical devices for continuous monitoring in healthcare and wellness that are low cost, fast to market, and reliable. Several case studies will be presented that demonstrate the use of flexible hybrid electronics technology for continuous patient monitoring, including electronic skin patches, and sensors for point-of-care diagnostics. 

Bio:

Oxana Pantchenko is the Engineering Program Manager for Medical Devices at NextFlex in San Jose, CA.  NextFlex, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Institute, is a consortium of companies, academic institutions, non-profits, and state, local, and federal governments with a shared goal of advancing U.S. manufacturing of FHE.  She earned her Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, Santa Cruz.  Dr. Pantchenko’s experience includes work at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Devices and Radiological Health, San Jose State University, Foothill Community College and various medical device start-ups.