Topic: Green Printed electronics: From Biodegradable Dielectrics to Low-Voltage Transistors

Organic electronics promises several advantages compared with traditional, silicon-based electronics. This includes flexibility, lower manufacturing costs and greater sustainability. Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are fundamental building blocks of organic electronic sensors, circuits and systems. To address the environmental concerns relating to the electronic waste (e-waste), there is an increased interest in the development of OFETs because they can be inexpensively fabricated using environmentally friendly, solution-based techniques and can employ biocompatible and/or biodegradable materials. Usually, the research on OFETs concentrates on the synthesis of high carrier mobility, air-stable organic semiconductors. However, there is another key element of organic transistors which is often neglected, namely the dielectric layer. Since the physical and electrical properties of this layer strongly influence the operation and performance of OFETs, it is paramount to employ appropriate materials. Also, several restrictions and limitations have been imposed on, for example, perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl polymers, often called “forever chemicals”, by international unions working for the safe use of chemicals (e.g., European Chemicals Agency, ECA). As such, the development of eco-friendly dielectrics is a must.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for the research community to report on the current status and the latest developments of biodegradable dielectrics for low voltage operated OFETs and OFET-based circuits. The scope of this issue includes but is not limited to material synthesis and characterization, device fabrication and assessment, device stability and reliability, as well as device physics and modeling, and material/device integration into multifunctional systems.

Biodegradable dielectrics, high-capacitance, organic field-effect transistor (OFET), low-voltage operation, flexible electronics, environmentally-friendly devices and technologies