title: A polysaccharide bioprotonic field-effect transistor.
abstract: In nature, electrical signalling occurs with ions and protons, rather than electrons. Artificial devices that can control and monitor ionic and protonic currents are thus an ideal means for interfacing with biological systems. Here we report the first demonstration of a biopolymer protonic field-effect transistor with proton-transparent PdH(x) contacts. In maleic-chitosan nanofibres, the flow of protonic current is turned on or off by an electrostatic potential applied to a gate electrode. The protons move along the hydrated maleic-chitosan hydrogen-bond network with a mobility of ~4.9×10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). This study introduces a new class of biocompatible solid-state devices, which can control and monitor the flow of protonic current. This represents a step towards bionanoprotonics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Yingxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Anita Fadavi
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Roudsari
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kapetanovic
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Anantram
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rolandi
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011522:Protons
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; D011522:Protons