Insight into conjugated polymers for organic electrochemical transistors

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) can tune the ionic and electronic transporting properties simultaneously. This unique characteristic renders OECT a promising technology for low-voltage and high-sensitivity bioelectronics. OECT operation is largely dependent on the conjugated polymers that are used as the channel materials. Herein, we review the latest progress in the design and synthesis of OECT polymers. Particularly, we summarize the general design principles for OECT polymers in side-chain and backbone engineering and discuss the correlations of structure and property, highlighting how the performance of OECTs could be related to the molecular structures. Finally, we propose a perspective on future trends in the material design for high-performance and high-stability OECT polymers.