Development and Characterization of a Conducting Polymer Hydrogel for Biomedical Applications

Conducting polymer hydrogels (CPHs) are composite materials which hold significant promise as coatings for neural interfaces and bioelectronics. This thesis describes the development and characterization of a CPH, consisting of the synthetic hydrogel P(DMAA-co-5%MABP-co-2,5%SSNa) and the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene). The CPH comprises a semi-interpenetrating and highly conducting network, can be micropatterned onto selected electrode sites via photolithography and can be covalently attached to the substrate electrode to ensure stable adhesion.