Ion-gated transistors based on porous and compact TiO2 films: Effect of Li ions in the gating medium

Ion-gated transistors (IGTs) are attractive for chemo- and bio-sensing, wearable electronics, and bioelectronics, because of their ability to act as ion/electron converters and their low operating voltages (e.g., below 1 V). Metal oxides are of special interest as transistor channel materials in IGTs due to their high mobility, chemical stability, and the ease of processing in air at relatively low temperatures (<350 °C). Titanium dioxide is an abundant material that can be used as a channel material in n-type IGTs. In this work, we investigate the role of the morphology of the TiO2 channel (porous vs compact films) and the size of the cations in the gating media ([EMIM][TFSI] and [Li][TFSI] dissolved in [EMIM][TFSI]) to study their role on the electrical characteristics of IGTs. We found that both the film morphology and the type of gating medium highly affect the electrical response of the devices.