Nanostructured Conductive Polypyrrole for Antibacterial Components in Flexible Wearable Devices

Yuzheng Wu; Dezhi Xiao; Pei Liu; Qing Liao; Qingdong Ruan; Chao Huang; Liangliang Liu; Dan Li; Xiaolin Zhang; Wei Li; Kaiwei Tang; Zhengwei Wu; Guomin Wang; Huaiyu Wang; Paul K. Chu

doi:10.34133/research.0074

Research (Jan 2023)

Nanostructured Conductive Polypyrrole for Antibacterial Components in Flexible Wearable Devices

Yuzheng Wu,
Dezhi Xiao,
Pei Liu,
Qing Liao,
Qingdong Ruan,
Chao Huang,
Liangliang Liu,
Dan Li,
Xiaolin Zhang,
Wei Li,
Kaiwei Tang,
Zhengwei Wu,
Guomin Wang,
Huaiyu Wang,
Paul K. Chu

Affiliations

Yuzheng Wu: Department of Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Dezhi Xiao: Department of Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Pei Liu: Department of Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Qing Liao: Center for Human Tissues and Organs Degeneration, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Qingdong Ruan: Department of Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Chao Huang: Department of Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Liangliang Liu: Department of Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Dan Li: Department of Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Xiaolin Zhang: Department of Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Wei Li: Center for Human Tissues and Organs Degeneration, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Kaiwei Tang: Department of Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Zhengwei Wu: School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Guomin Wang: Department of Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Huaiyu Wang: Center for Human Tissues and Organs Degeneration, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Paul K. Chu: Department of Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34133/research.0074
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 6

Abstract

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The power generated by flexible wearable devices (FWDs) is normally insufficient to eradicate bacteria, and many conventional antibacterial strategies are also not suitable for flexible and wearable applications because of the strict mechanical and electrical requirements. Here, polypyrrole (PPy), a conductive polymer with a high mass density, is used to form a nanostructured surface on FWDs for antibacterial purposes. The conductive films with PPy nanorods (PNRs) are found to sterilize 98.2 ± 1.6% of Staphylococcus aureus and 99.6 ± 0.2% of Escherichia coli upon mild electrification (1 V). Bacteria killing stems from membrane stress produced by the PNRs and membrane depolarization caused by electrical neutralization. Additionally, the PNR films exhibit excellent biosafety and electrical stability. The results represent pioneering work in fabricating antibacterial components for FWDs by comprehensively taking into consideration the required conductivity, mechanical properties, and biosafety.

Published in Research

ISSN: 2096-5168 (Print); 2639-5274 (Online)
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://spj.science.org/journal/research

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