A material can carry electrical charge well and still be a poor choice for living cells. This study found that the most promising fibers were not simply the ones that conducted best. Electrically active polymers combine electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties, making them useful in electronics, energy storage, and sensing.

Research has therefore focused on electroconductive composites and on developing ways to study their potential for biomedical use. The study embedded different electroactive materials in piezoelectric PVDF-TrFE nanofibers, investigating how their properties, morphology, and in vitro response were related.

Here, a comparative study combined piezoelectric fibers with different electroactive materials to examine links among electrical behavior, fiber shape, and response in living cells. Combining electroactive components with piezoelectric materials is a strategy for making devices with adjustable electrical properties.

The fiber-making process can strengthen this effect by creating electrical interactions at the surfaces of the materials. The electrical behavior depended on both the active material’s own properties and its interaction with the surrounding fiber material. The fibers containing methylene blue and copper phthalocyanine had moderate conductivity, while those containing copper oxide and P3HT conducted poorly in air.

Because the composite fibers differed in shape and electrical behavior, tests with living cells were used to check their compatibility and identify the most suitable formulation for biomedical use. Cells grown on fibers containing P3HT and methylene blue had higher survival and growth rates than cells grown on fibers containing copper oxide and copper phthalocyanine.

The added surrounding fiber material did not significantly change cell survival or growth rates in the different composites. The composite meshes showed good compatibility with living cells and successfully supported the attachment and growth of fibroblasts. That makes them candidates for future tests of whether these fibers can help physically filter or trap bacteria.

Blending the surrounding fiber material with different electrically active materials produced different combinations of electrical behavior, compatibility with cells, and other useful properties. The fiber size depended on the electroconductive phase, and cell assays showed that fiber responses varied in viability and proliferation.

The right blend can balance electrical behavior, fiber shape, and cell compatibility. For biomedical materials, that balance made the fibers containing P3HT especially promising for supporting living cells.