In cardiac tissue engineering approaches to treat myocardial infarction, cardiac cells
are seeded within three-dimensional porous scaffolds to create functional
cardiac patches. However, current cardiac patches do not allow for online
monitoring and reporting of engineered-tissue performance, and do not interfere
to deliver signals for patch activation or to enable its integration with the
host. Here, we report an engineered cardiac patch that integrates cardiac cells
with flexible, free-standing electronics and a 3D nanocomposite scaffold. The
patch exhibited robust electronic properties, enabling the recording of cellular
electrical activities and the on-demand provision of electrical stimulation for
synchronizing cell contraction. We also show that electroactive polymers
containing biological factors can be deposited on designated electrodes to
release drugs in the patch microenvironment on-demand. We expect that the
integration of complex electronics within cardiac patches will eventually
provide therapeutic control and regulation of cardiac function.
The transport of copper in silicon dioxide thermally grown on single crystalline silicon was studied by capacitance techniques, secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis, and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Metal/ oxide/silicon (MOS) capacitors were used to study the penetration of copper into the oxide as a function of temperature and applied electric field. The role of a titanium layer between the copper and the oxide was also studied. Bias-thermal stress (BTS) studies of MOS structures were conducted at 150~ to 300~ with an electric field of 1 MV/cm for times ranging between 10 rain and 168 h. It is shown that without bias a relatively small amount of copper reaches the silicon/silicon 17 3
Electroless deposition (ELD) is a well-known method for preparing thin films of metals and their alloys. It is a highly selective method allowing additive patterning of isolated and embedded structures on insulating substrates, e.g. glass, plastic or ceramic. It is a relatively low temperature (less than the boiling point of the electrolyte) and low cost process compared to other physical and chemical vapor deposition methods. ELD features uniform and normally conformal deposition (additives may affect its conformality) with low defect density and some unique material properties. In the last 30 years electroless plating of metals (e.g. copper, gold, nickel, cobalt, palladium, iron, silver, etc.) and their alloys, was demonstrated for micro system applications: microelectronics, micro electro mechanics, micro electro optics and microfluidics, micro fuel cells, micro batteries etc. Electroless plating was also demonstrated on nano structures, both artificial and natural. In this paper we present a short tribute to the recent advances in electroless plating in the last 30 years. Those advances and innovations are due to the work of many scientists and engineers on a time span started in the 19 th century. The progress in electroless plating followed the need and the trend for better metallization technologies for complex structures with critical dimensions that had been shrinking continuously in the last few decades.
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