Bioelectronic Applications of Intrinsically Conductive Polymers

Abstract

Since the discovery of conducting polyacetylene in the 1970s, intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs) have attracted great attention because of their interesting structure, properties, and applications. Notably different from conventional conductors such as metals and doped semiconductors, ICPs have high mechanical flexibility and are light weight. In addition, their properties can be easily tuned by controlling the doping level, modifying the chemical structure, or forming composites with organic or inorganic materials. Their application in bioelectronics is particularly interesting because they have good biocompatibility and good mechanical matching with biological tissues. In this article, the methods to increase the mechanical stretchability of ICPs are first reviewed because high stretchability is often required for bioelectronic applications while pristine ICPs generally have limited stretchability. The application of ICPs as stretchable electrodes for epidermal biopotential detection and neural interfaces is discussed. Then, the employment of ICPs as the electrodes or sensing material of mechanical sensors is reviewed. They also have important application in controllable drug delivery. Last, their applications in the wearable energy harvesting and storage devices including thermoelectric generators and supercapacitors are also covered.

Injectable Fluorescent Neural Interfaces for Cell-Specific Stimulating and Imaging

“…To further improve the biocompatibility and extend the functional lifespan, the application of polymer coatings has emerged as a crucial advancement. Polydopamine (PDA), renowned for its biocompatibility and adhesive properties, has been utilized to enhance neural interface integration. , Its ability to promote electrode-tissue integration, support neuron growth, and reduce inflammation, when combined with conductive polymers, creates a robust and biocompatible interface that is optimally suited for long-term implantation. Additionally, the use of biomolecules like zwitterionic polymers for antifouling coatings has been instrumental in improving the interface stability, effectively reducing interface degradation, and enhancing the implant’s durability.…”

Recent advances in structural design of conductive polymer composites for electromagnetic interference shielding

“…In addition, the ICPs often underwent behaviors such as expansion, contraction, fracture, or softening, which deteriorated their mechanical and electrical properties 125,126 . Furthermore, the modified ICPs generally showed disadvantages such as poor stability, high rigidity, and difficulty in melting, which brought difficulties to later processing and forming processes 127 . Usually, the second component was introduced to enhance the interfacial area and polarization, and then improve its dielectric properties, magnetic properties, and thermal stabilities, and so forth 128,129 …”

Enhancement of the charge-generation efficiency for a naphthalene diimide-based polymer semiconductor by using a pyrene-substituted n-dopant

“…1–7 Moreover, they have demonstrated potential applications in wearable devices. 8–14 While several p-type OTE materials have achieved high electrical conductivity of >2 000 S cm −1 and ZT of >0.2, 15–17 the performance of n-type materials still lags behind, primarily due to the low charge-generation efficiency of n-dopants. 18–20 It is known that the charge-generation efficiency in OTE materials is affected by the energetics of semiconductors, the redox properties of the dopants, and the miscibility of the semiconductor/dopant system.…”