Poly(3-hexylthiophene) as a versatile semiconducting polymer for cutting-edge bioelectronics

Abstract

Semiconducting polymers (SPs), widely used in organic optoelectronics, are gaining interest in bioelectronics thanks to their intrinsic optical properties, conductivity, biocompatibility, flexibility, and chemical tunability. Among them, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) has attracted great attention as a versatile SP, being both optically active and conductive, for the fabrication of smart materials (e.g., films and nanoparticles), allowing to modulate their performance and final biomedical applications. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the design of different kinds of P3HT-based materials, from the chemical properties to the structural engineering, to be used as key opto-electronic components in the development of opto-transducer for the modulation of cell fate, as well as biosensors suc as organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) and organic field effect transistor (OEFTs). Finally, their foremost applications and prospects in the biomedical field ranging from tissue engineering to biosensing will be discussed, including the future perspectives of P3HT derivatives towards cutting-edge applications for bioelectronics, in which optoceuticals therapies play a key role.