Polypyrrole-based conducting polymers and interactions with biological tissues.
Polypyrrole (PPy) is a conjugated polymer that displays particular electronic properties including conductivity. In biomedical applications, it is usually electrochemically generated with the incorporation of any anionic species including also negatively charged biological macromolecules such as proteins and polysaccharides to give composite materials. In biomedical research, it has mainly been assessed for its role as a reporting interface in biosensors. However, there is an increasing literature on the application of PPy as a potentially electrically addressable tissue/cell support substrate. Here, we review studies that have considered such PPy based conducting polymers in direct contact with biological tissues and conclude that due to its versatile functional properties, it could contribute to a new generation of biomaterials.
Ateh
D D
DD
IRC in Biomedical Materials, Queen Mary University of London, London E14NS, UK. d.d.ateh@qmul.ac.uk
Navsaria
H A
HA
Vadgama
P
P
D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011108:Polymers; D011758:Pyrroles; C067635:polypyrrole