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Poly(3,4‐alkylenedioxypyrrole)s as Highly Stable Aqueous‐Compatible Conducting Polymers with Biomedical Implications
Author(s) -
Thomas C. A.,
Zong K.,
Schottland P.,
Reynolds J. R.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-4095(200002)12:3<222::aid-adma222>3.0.co;2-d
Subject(s) - materials science , dithiothreitol , polypyrrole , conductive polymer , nanotechnology , polymer , biosensor , reducing agent , aqueous solution , conductivity , combinatorial chemistry , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , chemistry , composite material , polymerization , enzyme , engineering
Polypyrrole (PPy) may be set to revolutionize biological applications such as tissue engineering and biosensors due to its high electroactivity/conductivity and the water compatibility of its films. However, inherent weaknesses in PPy‐based materials arise from defect sites along the PPy polymer backbone, and its instability to reduction by biologically relevant reducing agents such as dithiothreitol (DTT) and glutathione. Here is presented a family of electron‐rich poly(3,4‐alkylenedioxypyrrole)s that address these structural weaknesses and are stable in the conducting, oxidized form, rendering them immune to strong biological reducing agents.