Electronic and optoelectronic materials and devices inspired by nature.

Inorganic semiconductors permeate virtually every sphere of modern human existence. Micro-fabricated memory elements, processors, sensors, circuit elements, lasers, displays, detectors, etc are ubiquitous. However, the dawn of the 21st century has brought with it immense new challenges, and indeed opportunities-some of which require a paradigm shift in the way we think about resource use and disposal, which in turn directly impacts our ongoing relationship with inorganic semiconductors such as silicon and gallium arsenide. Furthermore, advances in fields such as nano-medicine and bioelectronics, and the impending revolution of the 'ubiquitous sensor network', all require new functional materials which are bio-compatible, cheap, have minimal embedded manufacturing energy plus extremely low power consumption, and are mechanically robust and flexible for integration with tissues, building structures, fabrics and all manner of hosts. In this short review article we summarize current progress in creating materials with such properties. We focus primarily on organic and bio-organic electronic and optoelectronic systems derived from or inspired by nature, and outline the complex charge transport and photo-physics which control their behaviour. We also introduce the concept of electrical devices based upon ion or proton flow ('ionics and protonics') and focus particularly on their role as a signal interface with biological systems. Finally, we highlight recent advances in creating working devices, some of which have bio-inspired architectures, and summarize the current issues, challenges and potential solutions. This is a rich new playground for the modern materials physicist.

High mobility, low voltage operating C(60) based n-type organic field effect transistors.

We report on C(60) based organic field effect transistors (OFETs) that are well optimized for low voltage operation. By replacing commonly used dielectric layers by thin parylene films or by utilizing different organic materials like divinyltetramethyldisiloxane-bis(benzocyclo-butene) (BCB), low density polyethylene (PE) or adenine in combination with aluminum oxide (AlOx) to form a bilayer gate dielectric, it was possible to significantly increase the capacitance per unit area (up to two orders of magnitude). The assembly of metal-oxide and organic passivation layer combines the properties of the high dielectric constant of the metal oxide and the good organic-organic interface between semiconductor and insulator provided by a thin capping layer on top of the AlOx film. This results in OFETs that operate with voltages lower than 500 mV, while exhibiting field effect mobilities exceeding 3 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1).