Graphene/Hydrogel Hybrid Field-Effect Transistors for Seamless Bioelectronic Interfacing

纳米场效应晶体管为实时检测生化和生物电信号提供了一个独特的平台，具有前所未有的灵敏度和分辨率，但它们在生理条件下的应用仍然具有挑战性。该项目的目标是开发一种混合传感平台，通过将功能水凝胶作为界面材料，克服传统场效应晶体管设计的固有局限性。所提出的传感器设计不仅为长期、可靠的分子和细胞整合提供了真正的生物相容性微环境，而且还使现有的纳米电子工具集能够在生理相关条件下应用，从而允许对许多生物学重要过程有新的见解。拟议的研究将通过在即时诊断、疾病进展的体外/体内监测和临床脑机接口方面提供新的机会，对公共卫生的许多方面产生积极影响。此外，研究人员将强调先进技术与自然科学之间的跨学科联系，通过暑期实习扩大STEM参与，特别关注来自当地社区的代表性不足的高中生。本提案的总体目标是开发一种由石墨烯场效应晶体管和空间定义功能水凝胶组成的混合纳米电子界面，以改善分子和细胞水平上的生物电子转导。特别是，定向光聚合将被用于在单个晶体管器件上实现生物相容性水凝胶的选择性放置和设计，从而将纳米电子和生物功能集成到一个单一的多功能平台上。在分子水平上，生物特异性受体将被依次封装到水凝胶门中，独立编码器件选择性，以高空间分辨率进行多路分子检测，同时减少Debye筛选和非特异性结合，延长保质期。在细胞水平上，表面引发的纳米厚水凝胶将作为光敏粘合剂，建立坚固的、微创的细胞界面。如此紧密的距离将增强生物电子信号与底层石墨烯通道的耦合。与单个细胞进行模式和电通信的能力使大规模、可寻址晶体管/细胞阵列的合理设计成为可能，这将在单细胞和生物网络水平上提供生物电和生化信号传播的高时空分辨率研究。提出的研究代表了一种实现生物组件与电子无缝集成的新方法，并有望通过允许访问难以捉摸的生物信号和新兴的生物电现象，并提供数据可用性和信息的大幅增加，从而对当前最先进的技术进行重大改进。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Nanoscale field-effect transistors represent a unique platform for real-time detection of biochemical and bioelectrical signals with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, yet their translation toward applications under physiological conditions remains challenging. The goal of the project is to develop a hybrid sensing platform to overcome the intrinsic limitations of traditional field-effect transistor design by incorporating functional hydrogels as the interfacing material. The proposed sensor design not only provides a true biocompatible microenvironment for long-term, reliable molecular and cellular integration, but also enables the application of existing nanoelectronic toolsets in physiologically relevant conditions, thus allowing for new insights into many biologically significant processes. The proposed studies will impact positively on many aspects of public health by providing new opportunities in point-of-care diagnostics, in-vitro/in-vivo monitoring of disease progression, and clinical brain-machine interfaces. Furthermore, the investigators will emphasize the interdisciplinary link between advanced technology and the natural sciences to broaden STEM participation through summer internship, with special focus on underrepresented high-school students from local community. The overall objective of this proposal is to develop a hybrid nanoelectronic interface composed of graphene field-effect transistors and spatially-defined functional hydrogels for improved bioelectronic transduction at both the molecular and cellular levels. In particular, targeted photopolymerization will be exploited to achieve selective placement and design of biocompatible hydrogels on top of individual transistor devices to integrate the nanoelectronic and biological functionalities onto a single, multifuntional platform. At the molecular level, bio-specific receptors will be sequentially encapsulated into the hydrogel gate to independently encode device selectivity for multiplexed molecular detection with high spatial resolution while reducing Debye screening and non-specific binding, and extending shelf-life. At the cellular level, surface-initiated nanometer-thick hydrogel will serve as photosensitive adhesive to establish robust, minimally-invasive cellular interfaces. Such intimate proximity will enhance coupling of bioelectronic signals with the underlying graphene channel. The ability to pattern and electrically communicate with individual cells enables the rational design of large-scale, addressable transistor/cellular arrays that will provide high-spatiotemporal resolution studies of bioelectrical and biochemical signal propagation at both single cell and biological network levels. The proposed research represents a new approach to achieve seamless integration of biological components with electronics, and is expected to provide a significant improvement over current state-of-the-art techniques by allowing to access elusive biological signals and emerging bioelectric phenomena and providing a substantial increase in data availability and information.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.