Nanostructured Conductive Polypyrrole for Antibacterial Components in Flexible Wearable Devices

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 due to the strict mechanical and electrical requirements. Herein, 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 the 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.

Automated summary

Flexible wearable devices (FWDs) often lack sufficient power to eradicate bacteria, and traditional antibacterial methods are not suitable due to mechanical and electrical requirements. This study demonstrates the use of polypyrrole (PPy) nanorods on FWDs for effective antibacterial purposes. The PPy nanorod films sterilize Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by generating membrane stress and depolarization upon mild electrification (1 V). The PPy nanorod films also exhibit excellent biosafety and electrical stability.