Mimicking excitability with organic mixed conductors

Electronic devices that emulate the excitability of biological cells hold promise for bioelectronic systems capable of detecting, processing, and responding to physiological signals directly at the interface with living tissue^[1]. Conventional silicon-based hardware, however, faces challenges in biointegration due to mechanical rigidity, circuit complexity, and relatively high power consumption. Organic mixed conductors provide an alternative materials platform in which ionic and electronic transport coexist, enabling efficient coupling with biological signals and low-voltage operation. In this presentation, I will discuss the development of organic electrochemical spiking circuits based on organic mixed conductors, including organic electrochemical neurons and other bioinspired excitable systems. These devices exploit ion-mediated processes to reproduce key features of biological excitability, from neuronal spiking^[2-5] to more complex action-potential waveforms^[6], while enabling event-driven sensing with high temporal resolution and low energy consumption. When integrated with bioelectronic interfaces, such circuits can detect physiological activity and enable responsive stimulation in a closed-loop fashion^[7]. These capabilities open new opportunities for adaptive neuroprosthetics and implantable bioelectronics.

References

[1] P. C. Harikesh, et al., Nat. Electron. 7, 525-536 (2024).

[2] P. C. Harikesh, et al., Nat. Commun. 13, 901 (2022).

[3] P. C. Harikesh, et al., Nat. Mater. 22, 242-248 (2023).

[4] J. Ji, et al., Nat. Commun. 16, 4334 (2025).

[5] P. C. Harikesh, et al., Sci. Adv. 11, eadv3194 (2025).

[6] D. Gao, et al., Nat. Commun. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-72584-5 (2026).

[7] C.-Y. Yang, et al., Nat. Sens. 1, 63-72 (2026).