Cui Shujun, Mao Jifu, Rouabhia Mahmoud, Elkoun Saïd, Zhang Ze
Research Group on Oral Ecology, Faculty of Dentistry, Université Laval Québec (QC) Canada
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval Québec (QC) Canada
RSC Adv. 2021 May 10;11(28):16996-17006. doi: 10.1039/d1ra01338f. eCollection 2021 May 6.
Polypyrrole (PPy) is the most widely investigated electrically conductive biomaterial. However, because of its intrinsic rigidity, PPy has only been used either in the form of a composite or a thin coating. This work presents a pure and soft PPy membrane that is synergically reinforced with the electrospun polyurethane (PU) and poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) fibers. This particular reinforcement not only renders the originally rather fragile PPy membrane easy to manipulate, it also prevents the membrane from deformation in an aqueous environment. Peel and mechanical tests confirmed the strong adhesion of the fibers and the significantly increased tensile strength of the reinforced membrane. Surface electrical conductivity and long-term electrical stability were tested, showing that these properties were not affected by the reinforcement. Surface morphology and chemistry were analyzed with scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Material thermal stability was investigated with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Finally, the adhesion and proliferation of human skin keratinocytes on the membrane were assessed by Hoechst staining and the methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. In conclusion, this membrane proves to be the first PPy-based soft conductive biomaterial that can be practically used. Its electrical conductivity and cytocompatibility promise a wide range of biomedical applications.
聚吡咯（PPy）是研究最为广泛的导电生物材料。然而，由于其固有的刚性，PPy仅以复合材料或薄涂层的形式使用。这项工作展示了一种纯的、柔软的PPy膜，它与电纺聚氨酯（PU）和聚-L-乳酸（PLLA）纤维协同增强。这种特殊的增强不仅使原本相当脆弱的PPy膜易于操作，还能防止膜在水环境中变形。剥离和力学测试证实了纤维的强附着力以及增强膜的拉伸强度显著提高。测试了表面电导率和长期电稳定性，结果表明这些性能不受增强的影响。用扫描电子光谱（SEM）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）和傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）分析了表面形态和化学性质。用热重分析（TGA）研究了材料的热稳定性。最后，通过Hoechst染色和甲基噻唑基二苯基溴化四氮唑（MTT）测定法评估了人皮肤角质形成细胞在膜上的粘附和增殖情况。总之，该膜被证明是第一种可实际应用的基于PPy的柔软导电生物材料。其导电性和细胞相容性有望实现广泛的生物医学应用。
