Manipulating and Monitoring Biomolecular Interactions with Conducting Electroactive Polymers

Abstract

The use of conducting electroactive polymers (CEPs) to monitor and manipulate biomolecular interactions is reviewed in this article. Examples involving simple amino acids, more complex protein structures, DNA, and even whole living cells are discussed. The work described clearly demonstrates that the ability of CEPs to interact with biomolecular systems is dependent on polymer composition and on electrical stimuli applied to the polymer in situ. This provides a versatile molecular platform that is proving useful in the development of new biosensing and bioseparation technologies as well as providing a new means of cellular communications. This latter aspect is particularly exciting in that it has already been demonstrated that nerve cell growth can occur on these new platforms and electrical stimulation can be used to encourage neurite outgrowth.

Tunable conjugated polymers for bacterial differentiation

“…They have been used for bio-sensing [5][6][7], as electrodes for stimulation or recording [8,9], for controlling cell adhesion, proliferation [10][11][12] and stem-cell differentiation [13], for controlled drug release [14,15] and even to mechanically stimulate cells [16]. They can be fabricated electrochemically using various counter ions [17,18] and modified with a variety of biomolecules [5,6,19]. Surface properties of these very well studied polymers can be effectively controlled and reproduced by controlling the polymerisation conditions as well as by using appropriate counter ions.…”

Fmoc–RGDS based fibrils: atomistic details of their hierarchical assembly

“…making EPs useful as sensors of gases, [6][7][8] metallic ions, [9][10][11][12] biomolecules, [14][15][16][17][18][19] etc, for environmental and clinical monitoring.…”

Developments in conducting polymer fibres: from established spinning methods toward advanced applications

“…7 To date a tremendous amount of research has been carried out in the field of conducting polymers, while the broader significance of the field was recognised in the year 2000 with the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry to the three discoverers of ICPs, Shirakawa, MacDiarmid and Heeger. 3,29 Since the discovery of conducting PAc, a number of additional ICPs have been developed, including polypyrrole (PPy), [30][31][32][33][34] polyaniline (PAni), [35][36][37] polythiophene (PTh), 38,39 poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV), 40,41 poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT), 3,[42][43][44] and polyfuran (PF). 45 The structures of selected conducting polymers are illustrated in Figure 1.…”