No abstract

The electronic and optical properties of conjugated polymers and conjugated polyelectrolytes have attracted considerable research interest across a broad range of applications. Interfacing them with the lipid bilayer enables the engineering of interfaces with unique characteristics, facilitated by accessing the properties of each constituent material. Research done on these interfaces tap into a broad range of applications. Fundamental studies have been conducted to gain insight into the polymer interaction with a lipid membrane that mimics the biological cell. Bioimaging and biosensing devices have been developed, exploiting optical and superquenching properties of the polymer. Delivery systems based on these complexes were applied in photothermal therapy using the polymer high thermal conversion efficiency. This minireview presents a summary of this research, highlighting that while the field remains in its early development, conjugated polymer/polyelectrolyte interfaces hold huge potential for biomedical applications.

In article numer 20200081, Damia Mawad and co‐workers highlight the importance of coupling conjugated polymers and conjugated polyelectrolytes with the lipid bilayer to engineer interfaces with unique characteristics, facilitated by accessing the properties of each constituent material. Conjugated polymers provide optical and electronic properties, whereas the lipid bilayer mimics the biological cell, enabling fusion with the cell membrane. The cover summarises how utilising these conjugated polymer‐liposome complexes to establish an intimate electronic connection with the cell membrane holds great potential, providing the possibility to access and control, via electronic conductivity, cell membrane structures in electroconductive tissue such as the heart and brain.