Ca. Thomas et al., Poly(3,4-alkylenedioxypyrrole)s as highly stable aqueous-compatible conducting polymers,vith biomedical implications, ADVAN MATER, 12(3), 2000, pp. 222
Polypyrrole (PPy) may be set to revolutionize biological applications such
as tissue engineering and biosensors due to its high electroactivity/conduc
tivity and the water compatibility of its films. However, inherent weakness
es in PPy-based materials arise from defect sites along the PPy polymer bac
kbone, and its instability to reduction by biologically relevant reducing a
gents such as dithiothreitol (DTT) and glutathione. Here is presented a fam
ily of electron-rich poly(3,4-alkylenedioxypyrrole)s that address these str
uctural weaknesses and are stable in the conducting, oxidized form, renderi
ng them immune to strong biological reducing agents.