Thiophene-Based Trimers In-Vivo Polymerizes to Form Substrate-Free Organic Bioelectronics on Living Cell Systems

An array of different thiophene trimers have been synthesized to form bioelectronics that is amalgamated with living cell systems. Depending on the trimer composition and attached side groups, we can control the ionization potential, aggregation characteristics and the affinity to different cell system components. To fuel the polymerization, we take use of metabolic components, naturally available of the biological system, and various shapes of conducting and electroactive structures are formed. From here, we aim at establishing fundamental electrode and device architectures to enable novel routes to record and trigger cell functions, especially targeting the nervous system. The chemical, physical and electrical characteristics of different polymerized structures formed on cells and within tissues will be reported along with microscopy images.