Microelectrode arrays(MEAs)provide promising opportunities to study electrical signals in neuronal and cardiac cell networks,restore sensory function,or treat disorders of the nervous system.Nevertheless,most of the c...Microelectrode arrays(MEAs)provide promising opportunities to study electrical signals in neuronal and cardiac cell networks,restore sensory function,or treat disorders of the nervous system.Nevertheless,most of the currently investigated devices rely on silicon or polymer materials,which neither physically mimic nor mechanically match the structure of living tissue,causing inflammatory response or loss of functionality.Here,we present a new method for developing soft MEAs as bioelectronic interfaces.The functional structures are directly deposited on PDMS-,agarose-,and gelatin-based substrates using ink-jet printing as a patterning tool.We demonstrate the versatility of this approach by printing high-resolution carbon MEAs on PDMS and hydrogels.The soft MEAs are used for in vitro extracellular recording of action potentials from cardiomyocyte-like HL-1 cells.Our results represent an important step toward the design of next-generation bioelectronic interfaces in a rapid prototyping approach.展开更多
Electronic switches with nanoscale dimensions satisfy an urgent demand for further device miniaturization.A recent heavily investigated approach for nanoswitches is the use of molecular junctions that employ photochro...Electronic switches with nanoscale dimensions satisfy an urgent demand for further device miniaturization.A recent heavily investigated approach for nanoswitches is the use of molecular junctions that employ photochromic molecules that toggle between two distinct isoforms.In contrast to the reports on this approach,we demonstrate that the conductance switch behavior can be realized with only a bare metallic contact without any molecules under light illumination.We demonstrate that the conductance of bare metallic quantum contacts can be reversibly switched over eight orders of magnitude,which substantially exceeds the performance of molecular switches.After the switch process,the gap size between two electrodes can be precisely adjusted with subangstrom accuracy by controlling the light intensity or polarization.Supported by simulations,we reveal a more general and straightforward mechanism for nanoswitching behavior,i.e.,atomic switches can be realized by the expansion of nanoelectrodes due to plasmonic heating.展开更多
基金Norbert Wolters and Jan Schnitker for help with the amplifier development and acknowledge funding by the Bernstein Center Munich(grant number 01GQ1004A,BMBF)We greatly appreciate the funding from the BCCN(grant number 01GQ1004A,BMBF).
文摘Microelectrode arrays(MEAs)provide promising opportunities to study electrical signals in neuronal and cardiac cell networks,restore sensory function,or treat disorders of the nervous system.Nevertheless,most of the currently investigated devices rely on silicon or polymer materials,which neither physically mimic nor mechanically match the structure of living tissue,causing inflammatory response or loss of functionality.Here,we present a new method for developing soft MEAs as bioelectronic interfaces.The functional structures are directly deposited on PDMS-,agarose-,and gelatin-based substrates using ink-jet printing as a patterning tool.We demonstrate the versatility of this approach by printing high-resolution carbon MEAs on PDMS and hydrogels.The soft MEAs are used for in vitro extracellular recording of action potentials from cardiomyocyte-like HL-1 cells.Our results represent an important step toward the design of next-generation bioelectronic interfaces in a rapid prototyping approach.
基金the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(61571242,61775105,11504270)the National Key Research and Development program of China(Grant no.2017YFA0205700)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of Chinathe National Creative Research Laboratory program(Grant no.2012026372)via the National Research Foundation of Korea.
文摘Electronic switches with nanoscale dimensions satisfy an urgent demand for further device miniaturization.A recent heavily investigated approach for nanoswitches is the use of molecular junctions that employ photochromic molecules that toggle between two distinct isoforms.In contrast to the reports on this approach,we demonstrate that the conductance switch behavior can be realized with only a bare metallic contact without any molecules under light illumination.We demonstrate that the conductance of bare metallic quantum contacts can be reversibly switched over eight orders of magnitude,which substantially exceeds the performance of molecular switches.After the switch process,the gap size between two electrodes can be precisely adjusted with subangstrom accuracy by controlling the light intensity or polarization.Supported by simulations,we reveal a more general and straightforward mechanism for nanoswitching behavior,i.e.,atomic switches can be realized by the expansion of nanoelectrodes due to plasmonic heating.
