Abstract
Using a variety of proliferating cell types, it was shown that the surface of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) provides a permissive substrate for cell adhesion and development without the need of complex chemical functionalization prior to cell seeding. In an extensive series of experiments we found that, unlike proliferating cells, post-mitotic primary neurons do not adhere to bare NCD surfaces when cultured in defined medium. These observations raise questions on the potential use of bare NCD as an interfacing layer for neuronal devices. Nevertheless, we also found that classical chemical functionalization methods render the “hostile” bare NCD surfaces with adhesive properties that match those of classically functionalized substrates used extensively in biomedical research and applications. Based on the results, we propose a mechanism that accounts for the conflicting results; which on one hand claim that un-functionalized NCD provides a permissive substrate for cell adhesion and growth, while other reports demonstrate the opposite.
Highlights
The construction of efficient brain–machine interfaces (BMI) relies, to a large extent, on the use of biocompatible materials that can withstand the harsh biological solutions comprising the environment in which living cells operate
A promising substrate for such BMIs is the family of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) which is a continuous layer of nanoscopic diamond crystals embedded in a nanoscale matrix of sp2 and disordered carbon (1−10%; Daenen et al, 2009)
NCD films were grown in a resonance cavity microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system (MW-PECVD) using 1% CH4 mixture in hydrogen at substrate temperature of 700◦C
Summary
The construction of efficient brain–machine interfaces (BMI) relies, to a large extent, on the use of biocompatible materials that can withstand the harsh biological solutions comprising the environment in which living cells operate. While intrinsic NCD is electrically insulating, it can be doped with boron to form semiconducting or even metallically conducting films with tunable surface chemistry (Singh et al, 2010; Zivcova et al, 2013) These properties make NCD and Boron-Doped NCD (BNCD) a very attractive material for electrodes or electrode coatings for the development of implantable electrodes for the restoration of sensory functions such as in cochlear or retinal implants (Xiao et al, 2006; Hadjinicolaou et al, 2012; Ganesan et al, 2014), to electrically communicate between neurons or muscles and peripheral prosthesis (Ariano et al, 2009) and for deep brain stimulation and recordings.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
