Preparation and characterization of porous conducting poly(DL-lactide) composite membranes

Solid conducting biodegradable composite membranes have shown to enhance nerve regeneration. However, few efforts have been directed toward porous conducting biodegradable composite membranes for the same purpose. In this study, we have fabricated some porous conducting poly((DL)-lactide) composite membranes which can be used for the biodegradable nerve conduits. The porous poly((DL)-lactide) membranes were first prepared through a phase separation method, and then they were incorporated with polypyrrole to produce porous conducting composite membranes by polymerizing pyrrole monomer in gas phase using FeCl3 as oxidant. The preparation conditions were optimized to obtain membranes with controlled pore size and porosity. The direct current conductivity of composite membrane was investigated using standard four-point technique. The effects of polymerization time and the concentration of oxidant on the conductivity of the composite membrane, were examined. Under optimized polymerization conditions, some composite membranes showed a conductivity close to 10(-3) S cm(-1) with a lower polypyrrole loading between 2 and 3 wt.%. A consecutive degradation in Ringer's solution at 37 degreesC indicated that the conductivity of composite membrane did not exhibit significant changes until 9 weeks although a noticeable weight loss of the composite membrane could be seen since the end of the second week. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.