Research Day
SYNTHESIS OF A NOVEL GO/DMSO-DOPED PEDOT ELECTROACTIVE NANOCOMPOSITE FOR BIOELECTRICAL STIMULATION
Document Type
Abstract
Date
2021
Abstract
Electrical stimulation is being evaluated in regenerative medicine for its potential to promote stem cells adhesion, migration, and proliferation. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is a conductive polymer with excellent stability and biocompatibility. To enhance its conductivity, dopants such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and graphene oxide (GO) can be introduced as oxidants to enhance conductivity and mechanical properties. We hypothesized that the use of different solvents in the polymerization of PEDOT composites will affect the ultramorphology and the polymerization yield. Our goal is to synthesize a novel GO/DMSO-doped PEDOT nanocomposite and assess physicochemical properties and in vitro cytotoxicity. Various PEDOT nanocomposites were synthesized by oxidative polymerization of 3, 4-Etylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) in the presence of GO, DMSO, and ferric chloride (FeCl3). FeCl3 was dissolved in different solvents and added to EDOT (1:3 ratio) under stirring overnight at 70 °C. The solvents studied were H2O, ethanol, methanol, 50/50 H2O/ethanol, 50/50 H2O/methanol, and 50/50 ethanol/methanol. The resultant dark solutions were washed with methanol/H2O, then dried in vacuum oven. Nanoparticles were weighed to determine the reaction yield and characterized by a combination of spectroscopic and microscopy techniques (SEM, TEM, EDS, and XPS). Cell adhesion and proliferation were assessed by MTT assay and DAPI fluorescence staining on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The H2O/ethanol solvent resulted in the highest reaction yield. Different solvents resulted in different morphologies. hMSCs cultured in contact with GO/DMSO-doped PEDOT nanoparticles show an increase of proliferation overtime. The novel GO/DMSO-doped PEDOT nanocomposite could potentially be used as an electroconductive substrate for electrical stimulation therapy.