Self-supported flexible organic electrochemical synaptic transistors on self-healing composite electrolyte membranes

Abstract

A variety of organic electrochemical transistors have been recently developed; however, their self-healing performance has been largely ignored. In this study, we propose the use of a lithium-ion composite electrolyte membrane as a dielectric layer and the use of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as a channel layer to fabricate flexible self-supporting organic synaptic transistors. A variety of synaptic behaviors were emulated within the proposed organic synaptic transistors. By leveraging the self-healing features of polymer electrolytes, along with cross-linking reactions and low-resistance lithium-ion transmission, the device maintained its electrical performance. Testing involving different curvatures also revealed the device's potential for use in flexible electronics. Significantly, due to the device's self-healing ability, consistent dataset recognition rates were sustained. This work highlights its vast prospects in the field of flexible and wearable electronics.