Abstract

Several intrinsic electroconductive polymers have been studied for tissue engineering and biomedical applications, as they can mimic the cell microenvironment of some electroactive tissues and have body-sensing capacity. However, these polymers often lack good processability and biocompatibility, complicating the development of appropriate biomaterials or devices such as cell scaffolds and biosensors. To overcome these issues, a two-step method was introduced to coat 3D-printed poly (?-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds with intrinsic electroconductive polypyrrole (PPy) and gelatin (GEL). Compared to pure 3D-printed PCL, the coated hybrid scaffolds exhibited 12 orders of magnitude higher electrical conductivity, ionic conduction capacity, rougher topography, and even a 5% higher compressive strength while maintaining the main properties of PCL. The proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) was 13% higher in the PPy-coated scaffolds after 14 days, further exhibiting rounded cell morphologies, unlike the flattened shapes seen on the PCL controls. The high conductivity of the scaffolds produced by our two-step methodology further allows their use as electrodes for electromyogram measurement and piezoresistive sensors. Noteworthy, the coated biomaterials can be used as a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), achieving an output power density of 4–6 mW m?2 under the mechanical contact-separation stimulus. These findings highlight the potential application of our approach for developing multifunctional electroactive PPy-coated PCL biomaterials for tissue engineering, biosensing, piezoresistive sensors, and TENG. © 2025 Wiley-VCH GmbH.