Issue 3, 2024

The potential of graphene coatings as neural interfaces

Abstract

Recent advances in nanotechnology design and fabrication have shaped the landscape for the development of ideal cell interfaces based on biomaterials. A holistic evaluation of the requirements for a cell interface is a highly complex task. Biocompatibility is a crucial requirement which is affected by the interface's properties, including elemental composition, morphology, and surface chemistry. This review explores the current state-of-the-art on graphene coatings produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and applied as neural interfaces, detailing the key properties required to design an interface capable of physiologically interacting with neural cells. The interfaces are classified into substrates and scaffolds to differentiate the planar and three-dimensional environments where the cells can adhere and proliferate. The role of specific features such as mechanical properties, porosity and wettability are investigated. We further report on the specific brain-interface applications where CVD graphene paved the way to revolutionary advances in biomedicine. Future studies on the long-term effects of graphene-based materials in vivo will unlock even more potentially disruptive neuro-applications.

Graphical abstract: The potential of graphene coatings as neural interfaces

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
15 okt 2023
Accepted
04 yan 2024
First published
10 yan 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale Horiz., 2024,9, 384-406

The potential of graphene coatings as neural interfaces

V. Lopes, G. Moreira, M. Bramini and A. Capasso, Nanoscale Horiz., 2024, 9, 384 DOI: 10.1039/D3NH00461A

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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