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Graphical Abstract Let it grow: The conjugated polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was synthesized with heparin as the counterion to form a cell culture substrate. The surface of PEDOT:heparin in the neutral state associated biologically active growth factors (see picture). Electrochemical in situ oxidation of PEDOT during live cell culture decreased the bioavailability of the growth factor and created an exact onset of neural stem cell differentiation.funding agencies|Swedish Research Council (VR)||Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF; the OBOE center)||Karolinska Institute||VR||Onnesjo foundation||Linkoping University|

Water-soluble conducting polymers are of interest to enable more versatile processing in aqueous media as well as to facilitate interactions with biomolecules. Here, we report a substituted poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) derivative (PEDOT-S:H) that is fully water-soluble and selfdoped. When electrochemically oxidizing a PEDOT-S:H thin film, the film detaches from the under-laying electrode. The oxidation of PEDOT-S:H starts with an initial phase of swelling followed by cracking before it finally disrupts into small flakes and detaches from the electrode.We investigated the detachment mechanism and found that parameters such as the size, charge and concentration of ions in the electrolyte, the temperature and also the pH influence the characteristics of detachment. When oxidizing PEDOT-S:H, the positively charged polymer backbone is balanced by anions from the electrolyte solution and also by the sulphonate groups 2 on the side chains (more self-doping). From our experiments, we conclude that detachment of the PEDOT-S:H film upon oxidation occurs in part due to swelling caused by an inflow of solvated anions and associated water, and in part due to chain rearrangements within the film, caused by more self-doping. We believe that PEDOT-S:H detachment can be of interest in a number of different applications, including addressed and active control of the release of materials such as biomolecules and cell cultures.

Spatial control of cell detachment is potentially of great interest when selecting cells for clonal expansion and in order to obtain a homogeneous starting population of cells aimed for tissue engineering purposes. Here, selective detachment and cell sorting of human primary keratinocytes and fi broblasts is achieved using thin fi lms of a conjugated polymer. Upon electrochemical oxidation, the polymer fi lm swells, cracks, and fi nally detaches taking cells cultured on top along with it. The polymer can be patterned using standard photolithography to fabricate a cross-point matrix with polymer pixels that can be individually addressed and thus detached. Detachment occurs above a well-defi ned threshold of +0.7 V versus Ag/AgCl, allowing the use of a relatively simple and easily manufactured passive matrix-addressing confi guration, based on a resistor network, to control the cell-sorting device.

<div>Footwear, carpet, soft furnishings, automotive interiors, and multi-layer packaging are examples of products manufactured from several types of polymers whose inextricability poses significant challenges for recycling at end-of-life. Here, we show that chemical circularity in mixed-polymer recycling becomes possible by controlling the rates of depolymerization of polydiketoenamines (PDKs) over several orders of magnitude through molecular engineering. Stepwise deconstruction of mixed-PDK composites, laminates, and assemblies is chemospecific, allowing a prescribed subset of monomers, fillers, and additives to be recovered in pristine condition at each stage of the recycling process. We provide a theoretical framework to understand PDK depolymerization via acid-catalyzed hydrolysis and experimentally validate trends predicted for the rate-limiting step. The control achieved by PDKs in managing thermal and materials entropy points to new opportunities for pairing circular design with sustainable manufacturing.</div>

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Electrically-active nanoporous membranes are prepared by coating the surface of anodized alumina with electroactive polymers using vapor phase polymerization with four combinations of conjugated polymers and doping ions: poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophone) and polypyrrole, FeCl 3 and FeTs 3 . The permeability of the polymer-coated membranes is measured as a function of the applied electric potential. A reversible three-fold increase is found in molecular flux of a neutral dye for membranes in oxidized state compared to that in the reduced state. After analyzing various factors that may affect the molecular transport through these membranes, it is concluded that the observed behavior results mostly from swelling/deswelling of the polymers and from the confinement of the polymers inside the nanopores.