Influence of Water Content and Morphology on Proton Transport in Biocompatible Conductive Polymer Membranes*

Proton transport plays a critical role in many biological processes, including chemical signaling to cells within the human body. Devices that control the flow of protons to biological systems for medicinal and therapeutic purposes are known as bioprotonic devices, and they depend on conductive polymer membranes to facilitate proton transport. The development of bioprotonic devices demands proton-conducting polymers with suitable transport properties and biocompatibility. Herein, the results of theoretical investigations on the transport properties of candidate polymer membranes for bioprotonic devices are described. The effects of water content and morphology on proton transport in these candidate polymer systems are established. This provides a theoretical basis for the design optimization of bioprotonic devices that incorporate biocompatible proton-conducting polymer membranes.