In situ polymerization of pyrrole in animal tissue in the formation of hybrid biomaterials

Abstract

Porcine pericardium was impregnated with pyrrole or its derivative, sodium 4-(3-pyrrolyl)butanesulphonate (SPBS), by soaking the animal tissue in the monomer. Subsequent in situ chemical polymerization of the monomer-rich tissue using FeCl3 as initiator produced black polypyrrole-tissue hybrid biomaterials. The rate and extent of polymerization was found to be greater in 0.5 M acetic acid than in Hepes-buffered saline (HBS) and also greater for SPBS than for pyrrole. However, better tissue integrity was obtained for polymerization in HBS. Histological examination showed that the monomers do not permeate through the entire tissue, restricting polymerization to the surface layers of the tissue. The samples so formed do not exhibit detectable electrical conductivity.