Micro-Nanostructured Polyaniline Assembled in Cellulose Matrix via Interfacial Polymerization for Applications in Nerve Regeneration

Conducting
polymers have emerged as frontrunners to be alternatives for nerve
regeneration, showing a possibility of the application of polyaniline
(PANI) as the nerve guidance conduit. In the present work, the cellulose
hydrogel was used as template to in situ synthesize PANI via the limited
interfacial polymerization method, leading to one conductive side
in the polymer. PANI sub-micrometer dendritic particles with mean
diameter of ∼300 nm consisting of the PANI nanofibers and nanoparticles
were uniformly assembled into the cellulose matrix. The hydrophobic
PANI nanoparticles were immobilized in the hydrophilic cellulose via
the phytic acid as “bridge” at presence of water through
hydrogen bonding interaction. The PANI/cellulose composite hydrogels
exhibited good mechanical properties and biocompatibility as well
as excellent guiding capacity for the sciatic nerve regeneration of
adult Sprague–Dawley rats without any extra treatment. On the
basis of the fact that the pure cellulose hydrogel was an inert material
for the neural repair, PANI played an indispensable role on the peripheral
nerve regeneration. The hierarchical micro-nanostructure and electrical
conductivity of PANI could remarkably induce the adhesion and guiding
extension of neurons, showing its great potential in biomedical materials.