Tailoring of the physicochemical and biological properties of polypyrrole colloids with the help of stabilizers

Abstract

Colloidal systems based on polypyrrole (PPy) have gained significant attention in multiple research fields due to their exceptional potential in both biological applications and energy storage systems. Notably, their properties can be finely tuned by the chosen stabilizers, paving the way for groundbreaking innovations. Thus, the impact of various stabilizers (poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAL), gelatin, culminal and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) on the physicochemical and biological properties of PPy colloids was investigated. The obtained colloids exhibited spherical particles; however, their size varied from 48 to 223 nm. The PPy/PEO colloid demonstrated superior electroactivity, although it was less effective in forming thin films by spin coating. In contrast, all other colloids successfully formed uniform thin films when processed by drop casting and spin coating. The used stabilizers also controlled the cytotoxicity, PPy/PEO and PPy/PVAL expressing the lowest cytotoxicity. Additionally, all the investigated PPy films exhibited excellent cytocompatibility. Thus, this study demonstrates that the use of stabilizers allows very effective control of both biological and physicochemical properties of colloids.