Table 3. Types of Conductive Polymer Degradationa.
| conductive polymer | material system | dopant | conductivity | applications | ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| type I: conductive blends | PANI gelatin nanofibers | camphorsulfonic acid (CPSA) | 2.1 × 10–2 S/cm | scaffold for tissue engineering | (185,196) |
| PANI electrospun with PLCL | CPSA | 1.4 × 10–2 S/cm | control of cell adhesion | (185,197,198) | |
| PPy with PCLF (polycaprolactone fumarate) | anionic dopants: napthalene-2-sulfonic acid sodium salt and dodecyl benzenesulfonic acid sodium salt | 6 × 10–3 S/cm | nerve regeneration | (185,199,200) | |
| PEDOT particles in PLLA | hyaluronic acid | 4.7 × 10–3 S/cm | biomedical application | (185,201,202) | |
| PPy nanoparticles in PDLLA | oxidation with FeCl3 | 1 × 10–3 S/cm | biosensors, drug-delivery systems, biomedical applications, as well as tissue engineering | (185,203,204) | |
| PPy-coated PLGA fibers | oxidation with FeCl3 | Rs = 4.7 × 105 Ω/sq | neuronal tissue scaffolds | (185,205) | |
| type II: conjugation breaking | PANI grafted to gelatin | CPSA | 4.5 × 10–4 S/cm | tissue engineering | (185,206,207) |
| PPy-thiophene-PPy with aliphatic linkers | iodine | 10–4 S/cm | electrochemical energy storage, as well as optoelectronics | (185,208,209) | |
| hyperbranched: AP and PCL | hydrochloric acid (HCl) | 2.4 × 10–5 S/cm | tissue repair and bioelectronics. | (185,210) | |
| aniline trimer with polycaprolactone | dimethylpropionic acid (DMPA) (incorporated into backbone) | 1.2 × 10–5 S/cm (dry) | skeletal muscle tissue engineering | (185,211) | |
| 4.7 × 10–3 S/cm (in PBS) | |||||
| aniline tetramer grafted to poly(ester amide) | CPSA | 8.0 × 10–6 S/cm | vascular tissue engineering | (185,212−214) | |
| aniline pentamers (AP) with PLA triblock copolymers | CPSA | 5 × 10–6 S/cm | tissue engineering | (185,215−217) | |
| quaterthiophene and alkyl chains joined by ester bonds | FeCl3 and Fe (ClO4)3 | (185,218) |
a
Composites of nondegradable conductive polymers and electrically insulating degradable polymers make up type I conductors. Type II conductors are created by cleavable linkages, connecting conductive oligomers with degradable polymer segments. Dopants must achieve workable conductivity values in both case scenarios, and they need to be biocompatible.