Facile approach to the fabrication of 3D electroconductive nanofibers with controlled size and conductivity templated by bacterial cellulose

Controlled fabrication of biocompatible nanofibers with the required nanoscale and electrical performance can meet the needs of practical applications in biomedicine and electrochemistry. Here we report a high-performance 3D electroconductive nanomaterial templated by biocompatible bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers. Our approach can coat BC nanofibers with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) by in situ interfacial polymerization in a controllable manner, with average nanofiber diameters of 30–200 nm. PSS (poly(styrene sulfonate)) was doped to improve its conductivity in a controlled way. Mechanical performance and electrochemical measurements showed that the composite possesses excellent electroactive and mechanical stability. Especially evidence was provided that the BC/PEDOT nanofibers with moderate PSS doping had excellent biocompatibility according to the results concerning the cellular morphology and proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells cultured on the BC/PEDOT/PSS nanofibers. As a 3D conductive nanomaterial with flexibility, it shows potential application in electroactive substrates/scaffolds for tissue engineering, cell culture, biosensors, drug delivery and implanted electrodes.