Microfabricated and 3-D Printed Soft Bioelectronic Constructs from PAn-PAAMPSA-Containing Hydrogels

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Developing advanced hydrogels with both bioactivity and electrical conductivity is crucial for regenerative medicine.
• Polymer composites offer tunable properties for specific biomedical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create and characterize hybrid bioactive and electroconductive hydrogels using polyaniline-polyacrylamidomethylpropane sulfonic acid (PAn-PAAMPSA) within a p(HEMA-co-HMMA-co-PEGMA) base.
• To compare microlithography and 3-D printing fabrication methods for these hybrid constructs.
• To evaluate the electrical properties and cellular compatibility of the developed hydrogels.

Main Methods:

• Microlithographic fabrication and 3-D printing were employed to create hybrid hydrogel constructs.
• Polyaniline-polyacrylamidomethylpropane sulfonic acid (PAn-PAAMPSA) nanomaterials were incorporated at varying concentrations (0.00–10.0 wt%).
• Electrical characterization involved two-point probe resistivity and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; UV-vis spectroscopy was used to determine bandgap.

Main Results:

• Incorporation of >0.10 wt% PAn-PAAMPSA achieved electrical percolation and high conductivity, significantly reducing membrane resistance.
• Electroconductive hydrogels exhibited a measurable bandgap of 2.8 eV at PAn-PAAMPSA concentrations >0.10 wt%.
• Both base and electroconductive hydrogels supported NIH/3T3 fibroblast attachment and growth; collagen-modified hydrogels supported PC-12 neural progenitor cell attachment but not differentiation.

Conclusions:

• Hybrid PAn-PAAMPSA/p(HEMA-co-HMMA-co-PEGMA) hydrogels can be fabricated with tunable electrical conductivity and bioactivity.
• These materials demonstrate potential for applications in tissue engineering, particularly for neural tissue regeneration.
• Further research is needed to optimize differentiation of neural progenitor cells on bioactive constructs.