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. 2019 Dec 5;23:25. doi: 10.1186/s40824-019-0176-8

Table 1.

The forms, electrical conductivity, advantages and disadvantages of different materials

Materials Forms Electrical conductivity Advantages Disadvantages
Platinum-gold alloy [46] Discs

Gold 4.52 × 107 S/m

Platinum 9.6 × 106 S/m

High mechanical strength, long-term stability, good biocompatibility and good corrosion resistance Expensive, cell death caused by ion release
Magnesium (Mg) alloys [48] Discs ≈2 × 107 S/m High strength, fracture resistance, good electrical conductivity Poor biocompatibility; cell death caused by high ion release, and change of local pH
Polypyrrole [57] Coating 102~ 103 S/cm Good compatibility and support cell adhesion and growth Rigid, insoluble and poorly processable
Polyaniline [58] Film 5~ 10 S/cm Good environmental stability, low cost, good biocompatibility Poor mechanical properties and complicated manufacturing methods
Graphene [55] Coating 106 ~ 108 S/m Good mechanical properties, easy bio-functionalization and drug loading Moderate toxicity
Carbon nanotubes [52, 53] Doping with other materials 1.8 × 107 S/m High mechanical resilience, good support for active materials, high chemical stability, elasticity Poor biocompatibility, poor dispersion, insoluble and toxic to the cells