Molecular design, synthesis, and characterization of conjugated polymers for interfacing electronic biomedical devices with living tissue

Conjugated polymers are being considered for use at the interface between hard inorganic metallic and semiconducting electrodes and soft biological tissues. These organic materials have properties that are intermediate to these two extremes, and their chemistry, structure, and performance can be precisely manipulated over a large range. Examples of current interest included copolymers of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) and poly(3,4-propylene dioxythiophene). This paper will review past efforts, recent activities, and future possibilities in this rapidly expanding area of materials research and technology.