Fast‐Scanning Potential‐Gated Organic Electrochemical Transistors for Highly Sensitive Sensing of Dopamine in Living Rat Brain

Abstract

Developing techniques for the highly sensitive assay of neurotransmitters is essential for understanding physiological and pathological processes. Here, we demonstrate a fast-scanning potential (FSP)-gated organic electrochemical transistor (OECT): for the highly sensitive sensing of dopamine (DA) in a living rat brain. The configuration combines the selectivity of fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) with the high sensitivity of an OECT. The combined use of FSP as a gating mode and transconductance (g_m ) as a sensing parameter further improve the sensing performance in terms of sensitivity, limit of detection, reproducibility, and stability. The FSP-OECT exhibits a sensitivity of 0.899 S M^-1 and a low limit of detection down to 5 nM and was validated for in vivo monitoring of the basal level and electrically stimulated release of DA.