Synthesis and characterization of a novel bacterial cellulose–poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)–poly(styrene sulfonate) composite for use in biomedical applications

Abstract

This study explores the biocompatible behavior of bacterial cellulose (BC) composites with the highly conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)–poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). To synthesize this novel composite, we utilized an ex situ penetration method, whereby never-dried BC sheets were incubated with aqueous PEDOT:PSS solution. The resulting composite films were characterized using several analytical tools. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy illustrated the impregnation of PEDOT:PSS into the BC matrix, while the uniform dispersion of PEDOT:PSS in the composites was confirmed with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS incorporated BC was 7.3 × 10−2 ± 0.021 S/cm with 29.37 ± 2.13 weight percentage (wt%) of PEDOT:PSS. The biocompatibility of the BC–PEDOT:PSS film was tested against animal fibroblast cells. The composites showed excellent cell adhesion and proliferation. The animal cells showed filopodia formation and interconnectivity during 3 days of incubation. The cytotoxicity of the BC–PEDOT:PSS film was also assayed, confirming the non-toxic nature of this composite. Taken together, our results demonstrate that this novel biocompatible BC–PEDOT:PSS composite could potentially be used for biomedical applications, particularly in the biosensors, drug delivery devices, neural implants, and tissue engineering fields.