Electronic, electric and electrochemical properties of bioactive nanomembranes made of polythiophene:thermoplastic polyurethane

Abstract

The electronic, electric and electrochemical response of nanomembranes prepared by using spin-coating mixtures of a semiconducting polythiophene derivative (P3TMA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) has been exhaustively examined by UV-vis spectroscopy, conductive AFM, current/voltage measurements and cyclic voltammetry. TPU:P3TMA nanomembranes were reported to be good substrates for applications related to tissue engineering, acting as a cellular matrix for cell adhesion and proliferation. Both TPU:P3TMA and P3TMA nanomembranes show semiconductor behavior with very similar band gap energy (2.35 and 2.32 eV, respectively), which has been attributed to the influence of the fabrication process on the π-conjugation length and packing interactions of P3TMA chains. This behavior is in opposition to the observations in THF solution, which indicates that the band gap energy of P3TMA is clearly lower than that of the mixture, independently of the concentration. The current and conductivity values determined for the nanomembranes, which range from 0.43 to 1.85 pA and from 2.23 × 10⁻⁵ to 5.19 × 10⁻⁶ S cm⁻¹, respectively, evidence inhomogeneity in the P3TMA-rich domains. This has been associated with the irregular distribution of the doped chains and the presence of insulating TPU chains. The voltammetric response of TPU:P3TMA and P3TMA nanomembranes is similar in terms of ability to store charge and electrochemical stability. Overall results indicate that TPU:P3TMA nanomembranes are potential candidates for the fabrication of bioactive substrates able to promote cell regeneration through electrical or electrochemical stimulation.