Characterizing Piezoelectric-Blended Polydimethylsiloxane for Use as a Mechanoelectrical Responsive Cell Culture...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Developing biocompatible materials with mechanoelectrical responsiveness is crucial for advanced bioelectronic applications.
• Piezoelectric composites offer potential for energy harvesting and biosensing in biological systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel piezoelectric-polydimethylsiloxane (pz-PDMS) composite.
• To evaluate the mechanoelectrical properties, mechanical strength, and biocompatibility of pz-PDMS with varying piezoelectric concentrations.
• To assess the suitability of pz-PDMS as a substrate for human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized pz-PDMS composites with 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5% piezoelectric P(VDF-TrFE) concentrations.
• Conducted compression testing, mechanoelectrical sensitivity testing, and fatigue testing.
• Performed microcantilever experiments to assess mechanical deformation fidelity.
• Cultured hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes on pz-PDMS substrates and evaluated cell viability, attachment, and maturation using MTS assays and immunofluorescence imaging.

Main Results:

• Mechanical strength remained largely unchanged with increasing piezoelectric content.
• Mechanoelectrical sensitivity showed a non-linear increase with piezoelectric concentration, peaking at 5% pz-PDMS.
• The 5% pz-PDMS composite demonstrated high fidelity to mechanical deformation and stable sensitivity after 7 days of fatigue testing.
• hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes exhibited comparable viability, attachment, and maturation on both 0% and 5% pz-PDMS substrates.

Conclusions:

• The 5% pz-PDMS composite exhibits excellent mechanoelectrical sensitivity and long-term stability.
• The material demonstrates robust biocompatibility with hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.
• This pz-PDMS composite presents a promising platform for bioelectronic applications requiring mechanoelectrical transduction and biocompatibility.