In Vitro Biocompatibility Study and Electrical Properties of the PEDOT, PEDOT Collagen-Coat, PEDOT Nanotubes and PEDOT Aerogels for Neural Electrodes

Ricardo Starbird, Wolfgang Krautschneider, Grit Blume, and Wolfgang Bauhofer

Keywords

Neural Engineering, Bio-Nanotechnology, PEDOT, Structuration, Nanotubes, Aerogels

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the cytotoxicity of Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), PEDOT-collagen and PEDOT nanostructured coatings for neural electrodes. Incorporation of cell growth factors and the structuration of supporting material are two strategies to improve cell adhesion and biocompatibility in order to produce better and more specific neural implants. PEDOT coat, PEDOT-collagen coat, PEDOT nanotubes and PEDOT aerogel were tested for biocompability using the standard ISO 10993-5. PEDOT and PEDOT-Collagen coats were deposited via galvanostatic electropolymerization from a NaPSS micellar dispersion. In addition PEDOT nanotubes were obtained by hard polycarbonate template and PEDOT aerogels were chemically produced through a soft starch template. PEDOT samples were studied for biocompatibility, characterized by LCRmeter and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Biocompatibility test verified the absence of cytotoxic effects in all the PEDOT samples.

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