Emerging Electrolyte-Gated Transistors: Materials, Configuration and External Field Regulation

Electrolyte-gated transistors (EGTs) have emerged as a highly promising platform for neuromorphic computing and bioelectronics, offering potential solutions to overcome the limitations of the von Neumann architecture. This comprehensive review examines recent advancements in EGT technology, focusing on three critical dimensions: materials, device configurations, and external field regulation strategies. We systematically analyze the development and properties of diverse electrolyte materials, including liquid electrolyte, polymer-based electrolytes, and inorganic solid-state electrolytes, highlighting their influence on ionic conductivity, stability, specific capacitance, and operational characteristics. The fundamental operating mechanisms of EGTs and electric double layer transistors (EDLTs) based on electrostatic modulation and ECTs based on electrochemical doping are elucidated, along with prevalent device configurations. Furthermore, the review explores innovative strategies for regulating EGT performance through external stimuli, including electric fields, optical fields, and strain fields/piezopotentials. These multi-field regulation capabilities position EGTs as ideal candidates for building neuromorphic perception systems and energy-efficient intelligent hardware. Finally, we discuss the current challenges such as material stability, interfacial degradation, switching speed limitations, and integration density. Furthermore, we outline future research directions, emphasizing the need for novel hybrid electrolytes, advanced fabrication techniques, and holistic system-level integration to realize the full potential of EGTs in next-generation computing and bio-interfaced applications.