The potential of the electrical double layer (EDL) formed at the interface between cross-linked poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was measured with respect to a reference Ag/AgCl electrode, yielding a value of ca. 300 mV, which corresponds to a work function of 4.9 eV. More importantly, we report that the application of a voltage along the PEDOT:PSS substrate induces a modification of the EDL, which mirrors the potential applied to the PEDOT:PSS underneath. This is translated into an ionic electric field, tangential to the interface that images the electric field applied to the PEDOT:PSS. We propose that this modification of the EDL, via application of the electrical field away from the cell culture medium, is at origin of the neural stem cell response to that field, when cultured on top of PEDOT:PSS. Despite the comparatively low value of the Debye length (estimated around 1 nm) with respect to the much larger cell to PEDOT:PSS surface distance, we believe that the perturbation of the EDL is the likely source of the increase of neuronal differentiation of the neural stem cells. We discuss other possible implications of that EDL modulation.

测量了在掺杂有聚（苯乙烯磺酸盐）（PEDOT：PSS）的交联聚（3,4-乙烯二氧噻吩）和磷酸盐缓冲盐水（PBS）之间的界面处形成的双电层（EDL）的电势。到参考 Ag/AgCl 电极，产生 ca 的值。300 mV，对应于 4.9 eV 的功函数。更重要的是，我们报告沿 PEDOT:PSS 基板施加电压会引起 ​​EDL 的修改，这反映了应用于下方 PEDOT:PSS 的电位。这被转化为离子电场，与对施加到 PEDOT:PSS 的电场成像的界面相切。我们提出，通过在远离细胞培养基的地方施加电场，对 EDL 的这种修改是神经干细胞对该场的反应的起源，在 PEDOT:PSS 上培养时。尽管相对于更大的细胞到 PEDOT:PSS 表面距离而言，德拜长度（估计约为 1 nm）的值相对较低，但我们认为 EDL 的扰动是神经元分化增加的可能来源干细胞。我们讨论了该 EDL 调制的其他可能含义。