Neural Networks Grown on Organic Semiconductors

Abstract

We report adhesion, growth, and differentiation of mouse neural cells on ultra‐thin films of an organic semiconductor, pentacene. We demonstrate that i) pentacene is structurally and morphologically stable upon prolonged contact with water, physiological buffer, and cell culture medium; ii) neural stem cells adhere to pentacene and remain viable on it for at least 15 days; iii) densely interconnected neural networks and glial cells develop on the pentacene surface after several days. This implies that adhesion proteins secreted by the cells find suitable adsorption loci to anchor the cells. Pentacene is also a suitable substrate for casting thin layers of cell adhesion molecules, such as laminin and poly‐L‐lysine. Our results show that pentacene, albeit being an aromatic molecule, allows neurons to adhere to and grow on it, which is possibly due to its tightly packed solid state structure. This structure remains unaltered upon exposure to water and interfacial force exerted by the cells. The integration of living cells into organic semiconductors is an important step towards the development of bio‐organic electronic transducers of cellular signals from neural networks.

An Electrochemical Transducer Based on a Pentacene Double‐Gate Thin‐Film Transistor

“…Organic materials [9,10], on the other hand, offer an excellent ambience for living cells. In this line, we have verified that neural stem cells differentiate and grow on a wide range of organic materials without taking extra measures [11]. Moreover, organic electronic devices can be processed on highly flexible and soft supports [12].…”

Stable Non‐Covalent Large Area Patterning of Inert Teflon‐AF Surface: A New Approach to Multiscale Cell Guidance

“…Local topography and surface chemistry [1,2] are known to influence the cell fate, growth, migration, and differentiation. [3] Tailoring of the physical-chemical features across multiple length-scales is required for achieving an accurate control of cell adhesion.…”

“…This is a key issue in regenerative medicine. [1] It is also relevant for interfacing non-invasive, label-free electronic transducers and sensors to neural cells, and networks in view of monitoring electrical and chemical signals. [1] Nanofabrication offers a versatile toolbox toward this aim with patterning techniques suitable for achieving feature sizes down to a few nanometers.…”

“…[1] It is also relevant for interfacing non-invasive, label-free electronic transducers and sensors to neural cells, and networks in view of monitoring electrical and chemical signals. [1] Nanofabrication offers a versatile toolbox toward this aim with patterning techniques suitable for achieving feature sizes down to a few nanometers. [4,5] Top-down approaches are suited for the fabrication of topographical nanostructures mostly on inorganic surfaces, and cannot easily be transferred to pattern functional (soft) materials and biomolecules.…”

Nanopatterning Soluble Multifunctional Materials by Unconventional Wet Lithography

“…[8] The interest stems not only from the possibility to design new and enhanced properties, but also to combine different properties within the same material, else to integrate functionalities from libraries of materials that can be processed or fabricated on the same footings/technology. Chemical design can additionally impart noncovalent interactions (sterical, dispersion forces, hydrogen bonding, competing interactions) that give rise to supramolecular architectures.…”