Issue 6, 2017, Issue in Progress

A high-performance transparent graphene/vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) hybrid electrode for neural interfacing

Abstract

Neural interfaces that do not damage cells or tissues are key to connecting brain functions to neural prosthetics. Here, we designed a transparent graphene/vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) electrode capable of extracellularly recording spontaneous action potentials in Sprague–Dawley rat primary cortex neurons. Graphene provided the dual function of contacting the VACNTs and visually monitoring the cell viability. The hybrid electrodes exhibited remarkably high peak-to-peak signal amplitudes (1600 μV) and low noise levels, presumably due to tight junction formation between the cells and the deformed CNTs. Spike simulation and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging confirmed the excellent interfacial characteristics of the cells and the transparent hybrid electrodes.

Graphical abstract: A high-performance transparent graphene/vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) hybrid electrode for neural interfacing

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 Nov 2016
Accepted
09 Dec 2016
First published
13 Jan 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2017,7, 3273-3281

A high-performance transparent graphene/vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) hybrid electrode for neural interfacing

D. W. Jeong, G. H. Kim, N. Y. Kim, Z. Lee, S. D. Jung and Jeong-O. Lee, RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 3273 DOI: 10.1039/C6RA26836F

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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