Antifouling is one of the greatest challenges for implantable electrodes because immune cells and nonspecific proteins can occupy active electrode locations, causing a constant loss of sensitivity. P3HT-N-MWCNTs have 2 different structures of oxygen structures, namely, C=O (531.7 eV) and C–OH (533.6 eV). This configuration provides the material with good hydrophilicity, helping to improve the fouling resistance of the electrode (Fig.
1I). We investigated the antifouling performance of CFME/P3HT-N-MWCNTs. We first measured the water contact angles of carbon cloths (CC) modified with and without P3HT-N-MWCNT composite films to assess the hydrophilicity (Fig.
3J and K). The water droplets eventually formed 136° and 138° angles and were stable and difficult to attach to bare CC surfaces. However, CC/P3HT-N-MWCNTs were rapidly and completely absorbed when they were touched by droplets on the surface. Two videos without speed adjustment are provided to visualize the difference between them (Movies S1 and S2). The hydrophilicity of the electrode can be considerably improved by modifying the P3HT-N-MWCNT composite film. Consequently, the protein on the electrode surface has a higher affinity for water, and the electrode is less likely to become polluted. The entire medium collected from HT22 cells for 2 days was used to soak CFME/P3HT-N-MWCNTs and bare CFME for 30 min. Thereafter, the responses of electrodes to 10 to 100 μM AA were compared (Fig.
3L). Greater AA sensitivity is observed for bare CFME at 0.3 V than for CFME/P3HT-N-MWCNTs at 0.01 V potential (Fig. S3A and D). Figure
3L (black curve) shows the result of the evidently low sensitivity and instability. The possible reasons are the following: (a) the low AA selectivity of bare CFME without detection potential optimization (hence, the active sites are easily to be occupied by other substances in the solution environment) and (b) electrode contamination by various cellular metabolic wastes, exosomes, and serum proteins in the discarded medium. However, CFME/P3HT-N-MWCNTs still show a stable and specific response to AA. To further evaluate the kinetics at instant of electrode contamination, we added bovine serum albumin (BSA; 10 mg/ml) to a CSF containing 200 μM AA (Fig.
3M). In particular, the bare CFME is inherently unstable both before and after the addition of BSA, and the response signal is decreased by approximately 63.2%. Meanwhile, CFME/P3HT-N-MWCNTs always maintain a smooth electrochemical signal to AA, and the current value is only reduced by 34.4%, proving the certain fouling resistance of the CFME modified with a composite film. Then, BSA (10 mg/ml) was used to pretreat CFME/P3HT-N-MWCNTs to bind parts of the active site to keep the in vivo detection stable [
51]. The amperometric responses of the electrode before BSA pretreatment, after BSA pretreatment, and 2 h after brain implantation were compared (Fig.
3N). When implanted in brain tissue for 2 h after BSA treatment, CFME/P3HT-N-MWCNTs maintain their initial reaction to AA, and their sensitivity does not drastically decrease. Considering the findings presented in Fig.
3M, we believe that this result is the consequence of the one-pot modification approach. This is because some N-MWCNTs are present on the electrode surface but are not entirely covered by the P3HT layer. Further, pretreatment can bind this part of the active sites and stabilize the electrode. Therefore, altering the P3HT-N-MWCNT composite film may increase the CFME’s sensitivity and stability in a physiological setting. In addition, the composite film has some antifouling features. An example of a real-world application of the antifouling properties of P3HT film is brain implantation following pretreatment with CFME/P3HT-N-MWCNTs.