Elmira Mohajeri

Master student

Investigation of alginate-gelatin-based hydrogels modified with PEDOT:PSS for biomedical applications

 

Supervisors: Lisa Schöbel, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Conductive hydrogels have gained attention lately due to their unique characteristics. Among those hydrogels, PEDOT:PSS based hydrogels have been highly researched in neural, cartilage, cardiac, and bone tissue engineering due to their excellent electroconductivity, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility [1]. Furthermore, PEDOT:PSS hydrogels trigger interest as alternative materials for biomedical applications due to their electroactivity in a whole range of pH, which makes them an intriguing option for drug delivery besides tissue engineering unlike other conductive materials, (which could have some hindrances due to limited pH range) [2]. This study aims to investigate PEDOT:PSS-modified alginate-gelatin-based hydrogels regarding their mechanical properties, electroconductivity properties, degradation behavior, and cell-material interactions in dependence of different PEDOT:PSS concentrations.

[1] Binhan Zhao, et al., “Recent progress in the biomedical application of PEDOT:PSS hydrogels,” Chinese Chemical Letters, 35 (2024) 109810.

[2] Mushtaq A. Bhat, et al., “PEDOT and PEDOT:PSS conducting polymeric hydrogels: A report on their emerging applications,” Synthetic Metals. 273 (2021) 116709.