In-vivo polymerization of conjugated oligomers for self-organized electronics in plants and animals
Eleni Stavrinidou a
a Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Department of Science and Technology, Linköping University, Norrköping, Sweden
Proceedings of Organic Bioelectronics Conference 2022 (OBe2022)
Online, Spain, 2022 February 8th - 9th
Organizers: Christopher Proctor, Maria Asplund and Mary Donahue
Invited Speaker, Eleni Stavrinidou, presentation 007
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.obe.2022.007
Publication date: 14th January 2022

Leveraging the biocatalytic machinery of living organisms for fabricating functional bioelectronic interfaces in-vivo not only enables seamless integration of microdevices into the tissue but also a greener solution for advanced microfabrication. Previously we have demonstrated that plants can polymerize conjugated oligomers in-vivo forming conductors within their structure. We showed that the polymerization is enzymatically catalyzed by endogenous peroxidases and we developed a series of conjugated oligomers that can be enzymatically polymerized in physiological conditions. The conjugated polymers integrate within the plant cell wall structure adding electronic functionality into the plant that is then explored for energy storage. Recently we demonstrated intact plants with electronic roots that continue to grow and develop enabling plant-biohybrid systems that maintain fully their biological processes. Furthermore, we have extended this concept into an animal model system. We demonstrated that Hydra, an invertebrate animal, can polymerize intracellularly conjugated oligomers in cells that expresses peroxidase activity. The conjugated polymer forms electronically conducting and electrochemically active domains in the µm range integrated within the hydra tissue. Our work paves the way for self-organized electronics in plant and animal tissue for modulating biological functions and in-vivo bio-fabrication of hybrid functional materials and devices.

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