biostudies-literatureMousa AHEuropean Research CouncilStiftelsen f?r?Strategisk ForskningVetenskapsr?det2752-2763https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8944941biostudies-literatureUnknown34(6)Injectable bioelectronics could become an alternative or a complement to traditional drug treatments. To this end, a new self-doped p-type conducting PEDOT-S copolymer (<b>A5</b>) was synthesized. This copolymer formed highly water-dispersed nanoparticles and aggregated into a mixed ion-electron conducting hydrogel when injected into a tissue model. First, we synthetically repeated most of the published methods for PEDOT-S at the lab scale. Surprisingly, analysis using high-resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectroscopy showed that almost all the methods generated PEDOT-S derivatives with the same polymer lengths (i.e., oligomers, seven to eight monomers in average); thus, the polymer length cannot account for the differences in the conductivities reported earlier. The main difference, however, was that some methods generated an unintentional copolymer P(EDOT-S/EDOT-OH) that is more prone to aggregate and display higher conductivities in general than the PEDOT-S homopolymer. Based on this, we synthesized the PEDOT-S derivative <b>A5</b>, that displayed the highest film conductivity (33 S cm^-1) among all PEDOT-S derivatives synthesized. Injecting <b>A5</b> nanoparticles into the agarose gel cast with a physiological buffer generated a stable and highly conductive hydrogel (1-5 S cm^-1), where no conductive structures were seen in agarose with the other PEDOT-S derivatives. Furthermore, the ion-treated <b>A5</b> hydrogel remained stable and maintained initial conductivities for 7 months (the longest period tested) in pure water, and <b>A5</b> mixed with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles generated a magnetoconductive relay device in water. Thus, we have successfully synthesized a water-processable, syringe-injectable, and self-doped PEDOT-S polymer capable of forming a conductive hydrogel in tissue mimics, thereby paving a way for future applications within in vivo electronics.Chemistry of materials : a publication of the American Chemical SocietyMethod Matters: Exploring Alkoxysulfonate-Functionalized Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and Its Unintentional Self-Aggregating Copolymer toward Injectable Bioelectronics.PMC8944941RMX18-00832018-052582018-06197834677Mousa AHEkstrom PMarko-Varga GBliman DStrakosas XBerggren MHellman KHjort MSavvakis MEk FOlsson RHiram Betancourt LfalseMethod Matters: Exploring Alkoxysulfonate-Functionalized Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and Its Unintentional Self-Aggregating Copolymer toward Injectable Bioelectronics.Injectable bioelectronics could become an alternative or a complement to traditional drug treatments. To this end, a new self-doped p-type conducting PEDOT-S copolymer (<b>A5</b>) was synthesized. This copolymer formed highly water-dispersed nanoparticles and aggregated into a mixed ion-electron conducting hydrogel when injected into a tissue model. First, we synthetically repeated most of the published methods for PEDOT-S at the lab scale. Surprisingly, analysis using high-resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectroscopy showed that almost all the methods generated PEDOT-S derivatives with the same polymer lengths (i.e., oligomers, seven to eight monomers in average); thus, the polymer length cannot account for the differences in the conductivities reported earlier. The main difference, however, was that some methods generated an unintentional copolymer P(EDOT-S/EDOT-OH) that is more prone to aggregate and display higher conductivities in general than the PEDOT-S homopolymer. Based on this, we synthesized the PEDOT-S derivative <b>A5</b>, that displayed the highest film conductivity (33 S cm^-1) among all PEDOT-S derivatives synthesized. Injecting <b>A5</b> nanoparticles into the agarose gel cast with a physiological buffer generated a stable and highly conductive hydrogel (1-5 S cm^-1), where no conductive structures were seen in agarose with the other PEDOT-S derivatives. Furthermore, the ion-treated <b>A5</b> hydrogel remained stable and maintained initial conductivities for 7 months (the longest period tested) in pure water, and <b>A5</b> mixed with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles generated a magnetoconductive relay device in water. Thus, we have successfully synthesized a water-processable, syringe-injectable, and self-doped PEDOT-S polymer capable of forming a conductive hydrogel in tissue mimics, thereby paving a way for future applications within in vivo electronics.2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Mar2025-04-05T15:59:53.14Z2025-04-05T15:59:53.14ZS-EPMC89449413536043710.1021/acs.chemmater.1c04342