A solvent-free route for the synthesis of the composite AuNPs@PEDOT-co-PDLLA e its biomedical applications

• Grant number: 20/15005-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2021
• End date: December 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Susana Inés Córdoba de Torresi
• Grantee: Felipe Varella Penteado
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/13492-2 - Synthetic and natural scaffolds applied to regenerative medicine, AP.TEM

Abstract

Conductive polymers are versatile materials with a lot of uses, they can be used in electronics and even in biomedical areas. The synthesis of poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) is made by the oxidation of the monomer 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT), that can be achieved in many ways, but most methods result in low yield and are time costing. Because of this, our research team is studying an alternative route for the synthesis of PEDOT, via a mechanochemical route, without the use of solvents. Initial experiments had shown a great potential with this method, thanks to its simplicity and mainly because of the speed of the reaction which takes only two hours. Besides that, films of the polymer are self-assembled in the process. This method has proven itself to be reliable even in the synthesis of a copolymer of PEDOT with poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PDLLA), a polymer that is biocompatible and biodegradable, which expands the use of PEDOT in biological systems, because it shows to be non-toxic. The method is based on adding the same reagents of the wet route in a reactor of a ball-mill, nevertheless, there is a lot of fundamental aspects to take in mind, namely the ratio between the mass of the grinding media to the mass of the reagents, the time of reaction, the diameter of the grinding media and the quantity of grinding media. The pertinence of the project become more evident in analyzing the literature where, for the best of our knowledge, has no references that treat the mechanochemical synthesis of PEDOT.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ROCHA, IGOR; CERQUEIRA, GABRIELLE; PENTEADO, FELIPE VARELLA; DE TORRESI, SUSANA I. CORDOBA. Electrical Stimulation and Conductive Polymers as a Powerful Toolbox for Tailoring Cell Behaviour in vitro. FRONTIERS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY, v. 3, p. 18-pg., 2021-07-29. (18/11162-5, 18/13492-2, 18/21546-5, 15/26308-7, 20/15005-1)