Conductive polymer

About: Conductive polymer is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 21817 publications have been published within this topic receiving 692491 citations. The topic is also known as: intrinsically conducting polymer & ICP.

Electrically conducting polymers can noninvasively control the shape and growth of mammalian cells.

Abstract: Electrically conducting polymers are novel in that their surface properties, including charge density and wettability, can be reversibly changed with an applied electrical potential. Such properties might render conducting polymers unique for biological applications. However, the majority of research on conducting polymers has been carried out under nonbiological conditions. We synthesized optically transparent polypyrrole thin films and studied them in environments suitable for protein adsorption and mammalian cell culture. In vitro studies demonstrated that extracellular matrix molecules, such as fibronectin, adsorb efficiently onto polypyrrole thin films and support cell attachment under serum-free conditions. When aortic endothelial cells were cultured on fibronectin-coated polypyrrole (oxidized) in either chemically defined medium or the presence of serum, cells spread normally and synthesized DNA. In contrast, when the polymer was switched to its neutral state by applying an electrical potential, both cell extension and DNA synthesis were inhibited without affecting cell viability. Application of a similar electrical potential to cells cultured on indium tin oxide surfaces had no effect on cell shape or function. These data suggest that electrically conducting polymers may represent a type of culture substrate which could provide a noninvasive means to control the shape and function of adherent cells, independent of any medium alteration.

Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Polymers and Nanocomposites - A Review

Abstract: Intrinsically conducting polymers (ICP) and conductive fillers incorporated conductive polymer-based composites (CPC) greatly facilitate the research in electromagnetic interference (EMI) s...

Pure PEDOT:PSS hydrogels

Abstract: Hydrogels of conducting polymers, particularly poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), provide a promising electrical interface with biological tissues for sensing and stimulation, owing to their favorable electrical and mechanical properties. While existing methods mostly blend PEDOT:PSS with other compositions such as non-conductive polymers, the blending can compromise resultant hydrogels’ mechanical and/or electrical properties. Here, we show that designing interconnected networks of PEDOT:PSS nanofibrils via a simple method can yield high-performance pure PEDOT:PSS hydrogels. The method involves mixing volatile additive dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) into aqueous PEDOT:PSS solutions followed by controlled dry-annealing and rehydration. The resultant hydrogels exhibit a set of properties highly desirable for bioelectronic applications, including high electrical conductivity (~20 S cm−1 in PBS, ~40 S cm−1 in deionized water), high stretchability (> 35% strain), low Young’s modulus (~2 MPa), superior mechanical, electrical and electrochemical stability, and tunable isotropic/anisotropic swelling in wet physiological environments. Hydrogels of conducting polymers provide an electrical interface with biological tissues for sensing and stimulation, but currently have compromised mechanical and electrical properties. Here, the authors show a simple method to achieve pure PEDOT:PSS hydrogels that exhibit superior mechanical and electrical properties, stability, and tunable swelling.

Design and properties of functional hybrid organic–inorganic membranes for fuel cells

Abstract: This critical review presents a discussion on the major advances in the field of organic–inorganic hybrid membranes for fuel cells application. The hybrid organic–inorganic approach, when the organic part is not conductive, reproduces to some extent the behavior of Nafion where discrete hydrophilic and hydrophilic domains are homogeneously distributed. A large variety of proton conducting or non conducting polymers can be combined with various functionalized, inorganic mesostructured particles or an inorganic network in order to achieve high proton conductivity, and good mechanical and chemical properties. The tuning of the interface between these two components and the control over chemical and processing conditions are the key parameters in fabricating these hybrid organic–inorganic membranes with a high degree of reproducibility. This dynamic coupling between chemistry and processing requires the extensive use and development of complementary ex situ measurements with in situ characterization techniques, following in real time the molecular precursor solutions to the formation of the final hybrid organic–inorganic membranes. These membranes combine the intrinsic physical and chemical properties of both the inorganic and organic components. The development of the sol–gel chemistry allows a fine tuning of the inorganic network, which exhibits acid-based functionalized pores (–SO3H, –PO3H2, –COOH), tunable pore size and connectivity, high surface area and accessibility. As such, these hybrid membranes containing inorganic materials are a promising family for controlling conductivity, mechanical and chemical properties (349 references).