Biocompatibility of silicon nanowires: A step towards IC detectors

Abstract

Recording bioelectric signals at high spatio-temporal resolution with low invasiveness is a major challenge in the field of bio-nanotechnology. Insofar, bioactive signals have been recorded with improved signal-to-noise ratio from cells in culture using arrays of nanopillars. However, production of such nanoscale electrodes is both time-consuming, pricey and might be only scarcely compatible with the Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor integrated circuits (CMOS-IC) technology. To take a step forward, we introduced an innovative approach to fabricate small, high-density Silicon NanoWires (SiNWs) with a fast, relatively inexpensive and low-temperature (200 °C) method. Growth of such SiNWs is compatible with ICs, thus theoretically allowing on-site amplification of bioelectric signals from living cells in tight contact. Here, we report our preliminary results showing biocompatibility and neutrality of SiNWs used as seeding substrate for cells in culture. With this technology, we aim to produce a compact device allowing on-site, synched and high signal/noise recordings of a large amounts of biological signals from networks of excitable cells (e.g. neurons) or from different areas of a single cell surface, thus providing super-resolved descriptions of bioelectric waveforms at the microdomain level.

Biocompatibility and Connectivity of Semiconductor Nanostructures for Cardiac Tissue Engineering Applications

“…By using this technique, we successfully produced substrates covered with Si NWs of different length and shape and successfully grown and tested for physiological responsiveness in different cell types (including primary neuronal and microglial cells from mice [ 44 ]). Importantly, these Si NWs proved to be biocompatible with the cells tested, showing unaffected cell morphology, membrane currents and ATP-elicited intracellular Ca 2+ transients [ 45 , 46 , 47 ]. In our work, we showed that Si devices can be used to 2D culture CSCs and that the process to generate Si NWs is biocompatible and can potentially be integrated into 3D cardiac stromal cell constructs.…”

Biocompatibility and Connectivity of Semiconductor Nanostructures for Cardiac Tissue Engineering Applications

“…By using this technique, we successfully produced substrates covered with Si NWs of different length and shape and successfully grown and tested for physiological responsiveness in different cell types (including primary neuronal and microglial cells from mice [ 44 ]). Importantly, these Si NWs proved to be biocompatible with the cells tested, showing unaffected cell morphology, membrane currents and ATP-elicited intracellular Ca 2+ transients [ 45 , 46 , 47 ]. In our work, we showed that Si devices can be used to 2D culture CSCs and that the process to generate Si NWs is biocompatible and can potentially be integrated into 3D cardiac stromal cell constructs.…”

Vertically Aligned Nanopillar Electrodes: Engineered Interfaces for Electrophysiology and Cell‐Electrode Coupling

“…Zinc oxide ZnO nanowires demonstrate solubility in biofluids, suggesting possible biodegradability and allowing them to be used for in vivo biosensing and biodetection applications [ 132 ]. Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) exhibit biocompatibility as substrates for cell growth, enabling high-resolution bioelectric signal recording through CMOS-compatible manufacturing [ 133 ]. Furthermore, Conductive biopolymer nanocomposites incorporating poly(3hydroxybutyrate) and nanowires have been effectively evaluated as flexible, biocompatible electrodes for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and ECG [ 122 ].…”

Challenges for Microelectronics in Non-Invasive Medical Diagnostics

“…RF electronics and on-chip coils even enable single-chip NMR and electron spin resonance detectors [ 20 ], targeting, in particular, point-of-care diagnostics [ 21 ]. Several efforts have been undertaken to improve the compatibility of bio-sensing with CMOS platforms: one example is the reduction in the temperature of fabrication of silicon nano wires (down to 200 °C), thus making them compatible with the standard CMOS process [ 22 ].…”

Biocompatibility and Connectivity of Semiconductor Nanostructures for Cardiac Tissue Engineering Applications

“…By using this technique, we successfully produced substrates covered with Si NWs of different length and shape and successfully grown and tested for physiological responsiveness in different cell types (including primary neuronal and microglial cells from mice [ 44 ]). Importantly, these Si NWs proved to be biocompatible with the cells tested, showing unaffected cell morphology, membrane currents and ATP-elicited intracellular Ca 2+ transients [ 45 , 46 , 47 ]. In our work, we showed that Si devices can be used to 2D culture CSCs and that the process to generate Si NWs is biocompatible and can potentially be integrated into 3D cardiac stromal cell constructs.…”

Vertically Aligned Nanopillar Electrodes: Engineered Interfaces for Electrophysiology and Cell‐Electrode Coupling

“…Zinc oxide ZnO nanowires demonstrate solubility in biofluids, suggesting possible biodegradability and allowing them to be used for in vivo biosensing and biodetection applications [ 132 ]. Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) exhibit biocompatibility as substrates for cell growth, enabling high-resolution bioelectric signal recording through CMOS-compatible manufacturing [ 133 ]. Furthermore, Conductive biopolymer nanocomposites incorporating poly(3hydroxybutyrate) and nanowires have been effectively evaluated as flexible, biocompatible electrodes for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and ECG [ 122 ].…”

Challenges for Microelectronics in Non-Invasive Medical Diagnostics

“…RF electronics and on-chip coils even enable single-chip NMR and electron spin resonance detectors [ 20 ], targeting, in particular, point-of-care diagnostics [ 21 ]. Several efforts have been undertaken to improve the compatibility of bio-sensing with CMOS platforms: one example is the reduction in the temperature of fabrication of silicon nano wires (down to 200 °C), thus making them compatible with the standard CMOS process [ 22 ].…”

Biocompatibility and Connectivity of Semiconductor Nanostructures for Cardiac Tissue Engineering Applications

“…By using this technique, we successfully produced substrates covered with Si NWs of different length and shape and successfully grown and tested for physiological responsiveness in different cell types (including primary neuronal and microglial cells from mice [ 44 ]). Importantly, these Si NWs proved to be biocompatible with the cells tested, showing unaffected cell morphology, membrane currents and ATP-elicited intracellular Ca 2+ transients [ 45 , 46 , 47 ]. In our work, we showed that Si devices can be used to 2D culture CSCs and that the process to generate Si NWs is biocompatible and can potentially be integrated into 3D cardiac stromal cell constructs.…”

Vertically Aligned Nanopillar Electrodes: Engineered Interfaces for Electrophysiology and Cell‐Electrode Coupling

“…Zinc oxide ZnO nanowires demonstrate solubility in biofluids, suggesting possible biodegradability and allowing them to be used for in vivo biosensing and biodetection applications [ 132 ]. Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) exhibit biocompatibility as substrates for cell growth, enabling high-resolution bioelectric signal recording through CMOS-compatible manufacturing [ 133 ]. Furthermore, Conductive biopolymer nanocomposites incorporating poly(3hydroxybutyrate) and nanowires have been effectively evaluated as flexible, biocompatible electrodes for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and ECG [ 122 ].…”

Challenges for Microelectronics in Non-Invasive Medical Diagnostics

“…RF electronics and on-chip coils even enable single-chip NMR and electron spin resonance detectors [ 20 ], targeting, in particular, point-of-care diagnostics [ 21 ]. Several efforts have been undertaken to improve the compatibility of bio-sensing with CMOS platforms: one example is the reduction in the temperature of fabrication of silicon nano wires (down to 200 °C), thus making them compatible with the standard CMOS process [ 22 ].…”