Table 2.
Summary of physical/chemical features of most commonly used EAPs.
| EAPs | Key properties | Limitations | Main biomedical applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| PPy | High conductivity | Insolubility in organic | Neural probes |
| High stability in air | solvents | Drug delivery | |
| Electroactivity pH [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11] | Poor processability | Coatings | |
| Biocompatibility | No biodegradability | Tissue engineering | |
| Low solubility in water | Biosensing | ||
| Bio-actuators | |||
| PANI | High conductivity | Low solubility in organic solvents | Drug delivery |
| Enviromental stability | Electroactivity pH < 4 Poor processability | Coatings | |
| Suitable redox properties | No biodegradability | Tissue engineering | |
| Biocompatibility | Bio-actuators | ||
| PTh | High conductivity | Instability in air | Tissue engineering |
| Biocompatibility | Low solubility in organic solvents | Biosensing | |
| High doping levels | Poor processability | Coatings | |
| No biodegradability | |||
| PEDOT | High transparency | Low solubility in organic solvents | Biosensing field |
| High stability in its oxidation state vs. biological reducing agent | Poor processability | Neural probes | |
| Low oxidation potential | No biodegradability | Drug delivery | |
| High compatibility with aqueous electrolytes |