Method of producing electrically conductive polymers and removing protein-bound substances

Abstract

The present invention provides an organic bioelectronic HD device system for the effective removal of protein-bound substances, comprising PEDOT:PSS, a multiwall carbon nanotube, polyethylene oxide (PEO), and (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (GOPS). The composite nanofiber platform exhibited (i) long-term water-resistance; (ii) high adhesion strength on the PES membrane; (iii) enhanced electrical properties; and (iv) good anticoagulant ability and negligible hemolysis of red blood cells, suggesting great suitability for use in developing next-generation bioelectronic medicines for HD.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for producing an electrically conductive polymer, comprising:
 (a) providing a PEDOT:PSS solution including carbon nanotubes and a crosslinking agent;   (b) blending the PEDOT:PSS solution with an additive solution to acquire a quaternary blend solution; and   (c) electrospinning the quaternary blend solution to form the electrically conductive polymer,   wherein the additive solution is ranged 5˜30 wt % based on a total weight of the quaternary blend solution.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the additive solution comprises polyethylene oxide (PEO) solution, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution, polyethyleneimine (PEI) solution, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) solution, poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) solution, Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solution, polyacrylamide (PAM) solution, poly(ethyl exazoline) solution, poly-lysine solution, poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) (PPO-PEO-PPO) triblock copolymers solution, poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock copolymer solution, an alginate solution, hyaluronic acid (HA) solution, a gelatin solution, a collagen solution, polyglutamic acid (PGA) solution, a chitin solution, a chitosan solution, a cellulose solution or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanotubes are ranged 1˜3 wt % based on total weight of the PEDOT:PSS solution. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the crosslinking agent is (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane is ranged 1˜10 wt % based on total weight of the PEDOT:PSS solution. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising thermal treatment of the electrically conductive polymer after the step (c). 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the thermal treatment is carried out under 80˜150° C. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a ratio of PEDOT and PSS is 1:2.5˜1:6. 
     
     
         9 . An electrically conductive nanofiber mat produced from the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         10 . A bioelectronic interface device, comprising:
 a dialysis membrane;   a first electrode coated on the dialysis membrane; and   an electrically conductive nanofiber mat of  claim 11  as a second electrode coated on the dialysis membrane.   
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the dialysis membrane comprises a polyethersulfone (PES) membrane, a cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane, an ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVAL) membrane, a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane, a polyester polymer alloy (PEPA) membrane, a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) membrane, a polysulfone (PS) membrane, a regenerated cellulose (RC) membrane, or a cellulose diacetate (CDA) membrane. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the first electrode is a counter electrode or a working electrode. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein when the first electrode is the counter electrode, the second electrode is the working electrode; when the first electrode is working electrode, the second electrode is the counter electrode. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the first electrode comprises an Ag/AgCl electrode, a silver (Ag) electrode, a gold (Au) electrode, a platinum (Pt) electrode, an iridium (Ir) electrode, a Pt/Ir alloy electrode, an iridium oxide electrode, a titanium (Ti) electrode, or a titanium nitride (TiN) electrode. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 10 , further comprising a reference electrode coated on the dialysis membrane. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 15 , wherein the reference electrode comprises an Ag/AgCl electrode, a silver (Ag) electrode, a gold (Au) electrode, a platinum (Pt) electrode, an iridium (Ir) electrode, a Pt/Ir alloy electrode, an iridium oxide electrode, a titanium (Ti) electrode, or a titanium nitride (TiN) electrode. 
     
     
         17 . A method for removing protein-bound substances, comprising:
 (a) introducing a biological fluid sample to a bioelectronic interface device of  claim 10 ; and   (b) providing an electrical stimulation to reduce binding rate between proteins and the protein-bound substances.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the electrical stimulation comprises a cyclic voltammetric sweep. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein a potential signal of the cyclic voltammetric sweep is within a voltage range from −3 to +3 V. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the electrical stimulation increases retention of the protein. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the electrical stimulation increases adsorption amount or dialysis efficiency of the protein-bound substances. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the proteins dissociates from the bioelectronic interface device after the step (b).