Electrochemical Stability of Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene) Derivatives Under Cell Culture Conditions

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (abbreviated as PEDOT) is widely used in nerve electrodes and biosensors. However, only a few investigations on the electrochemical stability of PEDOT derivatives in the biological environment have been reported. Here, the electrochemical performances of two PEDOT derivatives were evaluated during cell culture. The results showed phosphocholine-functionalized PEDOT (PEDOT-PC) to possess good anti-cell adhesion ability with 0.6% impedance change before and after cell culture. By comparison, hydroxyl-functionalized PEDOT (PEDOT-OH) promoted cell adhesion, in which impedance decreased by 17.6% with cell spreading due to strong adsorption of serum proteins. In sum, these findings look promising for the development of novel and facile PEDOT platforms for in vivo bioelectronics.