Advanced Functional Materials
Advanced Functional Materials
5 years ago

3D Microstructured Carbon Nanotube Electrodes for Trapping and Recording Electrogenic Cells

3D Microstructured Carbon Nanotube Electrodes for Trapping and Recording Electrogenic Cells
Michael De Volder, Dries Braeken, Zhenxiang Luo, Jordi Cools, Geert Callewaert, Davor Copic
Electrogenic cells such as cardiomyocytes and neurons rely mainly on electrical signals for intercellular communication. Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have been developed for long-term recording of cell signals and stimulation of electrogenic cells under low-cell-stress conditions, providing new insights in the behavior of electrogenic cells and the operation of the brain. To date, MEAs are relying on flat or needle-shaped electrode surfaces, mainly due to limitations in the lithographic processes. This paper relies on a previously reported elasto-capillary aggregation process to create 3D carbon nanotube (CNT) MEAs. This study shows that CNTs aggregate in well-shaped structures of similar size as cardiomyocytes are particularly interesting for MEA applications. This is because i) CNT microwells of the right diameter preferentially trap individual cardiomyocytes, which facilitates single cell recording without the need for clamping cells or signal deconvolution, and ii) once the cells are trapped inside of the CNT wells, this 3D CNT structure is used as an electrode surrounding the cell, which increases the cell–electrode contact area. As a result, this study finds that the recorded output voltages increase significantly (more than 200%). This fabrication process paves the way for future study of complex interactions between electrogenic cells and 3D recording electrodes. 3D carbon nanotube microstructures are grown on top of electrodes and interfaced with primary heart cells. The focus lies on sloped microwells of which the diameter is optimized to allow single cell nestling. Based on microscopy data and cell recordings, these structures hold multiple advantages compared to more traditional electrodes.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201701083

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