Issue 4, 2019

P and N type copper phthalocyanines as effective semiconductors in organic thin-film transistor based DNA biosensors at elevated temperatures

Abstract

Many health-related diagnostics are expensive, time consuming and invasive. Organic thin film transistor (OTFT) based devices show promise to enable rapid, low cost diagnostics that are an important aspect to enabling increased access and availability to healthcare. Here, we describe OTFTs based upon two structurally similar P (copper phthalocyanine – CuPc) and N (hexdecafluoro copper phthalocyanine – F16-CuPc) type semiconductor materials, and demonstrate their potential for use as both temperature and DNA sensors. Bottom gate bottom contact (BGBC) OTFTs with either CuPc or F16-CuPc semiconducting layers were characterized within a temperature range of 25 °C to 90 °C in both air and under vacuum. CuPc devices showed small positive shifts in threshold voltage (VT) in air and significant linear increases in mobility with increasing temperature. F16-CuPc devices showed large negative shifts in VT in air and linear increases in mobility under the same conditions. Similar OTFTs were exposed to DNA in different hybridization states and both series of devices showed positive VT increases upon DNA exposure, with a larger response to single stranded DNA. The N-type F16-CuPc devices showed a much greater sensing response than the P-type CuPc. These findings illustrate the use of these materials, especially the N-type semiconductor, as both temperature and DNA sensors and further elucidate the mechanism of DNA sensing in OTFTs.

Graphical abstract: P and N type copper phthalocyanines as effective semiconductors in organic thin-film transistor based DNA biosensors at elevated temperatures

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
25 Oct 2018
Accepted
07 Jan 2019
First published
15 Jan 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2019,9, 2133-2142

P and N type copper phthalocyanines as effective semiconductors in organic thin-film transistor based DNA biosensors at elevated temperatures

N. T. Boileau, O. A. Melville, B. Mirka, R. Cranston and B. H. Lessard, RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 2133 DOI: 10.1039/C8RA08829B

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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