Aligned poly (glycolide‐lactide) fiber membranes with conducting polypyrrole

Electroactive polypyrrole (PPy) are highly attractive for a number of biomedical applications such as tissue engineering. To improve interfacial compatibility of PPy with biopolyesters, poly (?‐caprolactone) grafted PPy (PPy‐g‐PCL) are synthesized in this work and characterized with Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance. PPy‐g‐PCL exhibits good conductivity and electrochemical activity. It is also blended with poly (glycolide‐lactide) to make aligned fiber membranes via drum at the speed of 1500 r/min. The relationships of blending ratio with the fibrous structure, thermal stability, wettability, and mechanical properties are clarified. The results show that blending PPy‐g‐PCL has no significant effect on the fibrous morphology, but fibers trends aligned architecture as the blend ratio of poly (glycolide‐lactide)/PPy‐g‐PCL exceeds 70/30. The membranous thermal and mechanical stability are modified. The membranous hydrophilicity significantly enhances with PPy‐g‐PCL amount increasing. Then the fiber membrane with topographical and electrical cues is qualified as the application of tissue engineering. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.