Electrically conductive polyester and cellulose based composites: fabrication, characterization and in vitro biocompatibility

PPy has been widely applied in biomedical field and also is considered suitable for short-term electrical stimulation applications. In this work, two novel polypyrrole-coated composites pre-treated with NaOH solution were prepared by in situ polymerization, which is attempted for electrical stimulation therapy for the first time to the best of our knowledge. Composites were fabricated by tailoring the concentrations of dopants as well as mole ratios of FeCl(3)6H(2)O to pyrrole, and the optimal conditions were obtained in accordance with surface resistance test results. Composites were well characterized by SEM, XPS, thermostability, washable stability, stability in PBS and cell proliferation tests. Polypyrrole composite was able to promote cell proliferation in combination with favorable current intensity, which was proved by the viability tests. Our study concluded that polypyrrole-coated composite was non-toxic and could support the cell proliferation, and may serve as a promising material for electrical stimulation therapy.