Organic Field-Effect Transistors as Advanced Sensing Platforms

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) have established themselves as versatile platforms for sensing and optoelectronic detection, benefiting from intrinsic signal amplification, low operating voltages, mechanical flexibility, and compatibility with low-cost, large-area fabrication techniques. Compared to inorganic counterparts, organic semiconductors provide exceptional chemical and structural tunability, enabling the rational design of active layers tailored to specific sensing or photodetection functionalities through molecular engineering. Over the past decade, OFET-based devices have demonstrated outstanding performance in chemical, biological, and environmental sensing, with detection limits frequently reaching the sub-ppm or ppb range, while also showing strong potential as photodetectors and ionizing radiation sensors. Recent progress in material design, dielectric and interface engineering, and advanced device architectures—including electrolyte-gated, dual-gate, and light-sensitive OFET configurations—has significantly broadened the operational scope and performance of these technologies. Nevertheless, key challenges related to operational stability, selectivity, reproducibility, and long-term reliability remain critical obstacles to their widespread adoption in practical applications.

The goal of this Research Topic is to address the key scientific and technological challenges that currently hinder the translation of OFET-based sensors from laboratory demonstrations to robust, real-world applications. While outstanding sensitivities have been achieved, issues such as operational instability, bias stress effects, environmental degradation, and limited selectivity remain critical bottlenecks. This Research Topic aims to explore how rational material design, interface and dielectric engineering, and innovative device architectures can be leveraged to improve sensing performance, stability, and reliability. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding sensing mechanisms at the semiconductor–dielectric as well as on strategies to decouple sensing response from device degradation due to environmental conditions. By bringing together recent advances in organic electronics, materials chemistry, and sensor engineering, this Research Topic seeks to provide a coherent framework for the next generation of OFET-based sensing platforms with enhanced functionality, reproducibility, and application relevance.

This Research Topic welcomes manuscripts that advance the fundamental understanding and practical implementation of OFET-based sensors. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Design and synthesis of organic semiconductors for selective sensing
• Interface and dielectric engineering for enhanced detecting performances and stability
• Novel OFET architectures (electrolyte-gated, extended-gate, dual-gate, water-gated)
• Strategies to mitigate bias stress, drift, and environmental instability
• OFET sensor arrays and multiparametric sensing
• Flexible, large-area, wearable, and low-power OFET sensing systems

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Keywords: Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), Organic Semiconductor, Organic Small Molecules, Polymers, Photodetector, Biosensor, Flexible, Large-Area, Low-Power

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.