Themed issue on carbon bioelectronics
Mohammad Reza Abidiana, Andrew T. S. Weeb and George G. Malliarasc
aMaterials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
bDepartment of Physics, National University of Singapore, 2 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117542
cDepartment of Bioelectronics, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint Etienne, Centre Microélectronique de Provence, 880 route de Mimet,, 13541 Gardanne,, France
 Mohammad Reza Abidian |
 Andrew T. S. Wee |
 George G. Malliaras |
This themed issue is dedicated to the emerging field of carbon bioelectronics, a field that explores and exploits interfacing with the biological world, by means of devices that rely on carbon-based electronic materials. This interfacing is bidirectional and includes not only stimulation but also recording of biological events. Examples we considered in this issue include implantable electrodes that record the electrical activity of neurons in the brain, delivery devices that release a drug upon electrical stimulus, sensors that use biological recognition elements to record interactions between biomolecules, and smart surfaces that provide electrical, chemical and/or mechanical stimuli to regulate cell function.
Given that applications of bioelectronics are extremely broad, there is not a single material that will provide a comprehensive solution. This issue contains examples of different forms of carbon including polymeric semiconductors, carbon nanotubes and graphene. The former represent the limit of low electronic carrier mobility, but offer properties such as facile processing and fast ion transport which lead to bioelectronic devices with unique performance. Nanotubes and graphene represent the high electronic carrier mobility end of the spectrum, and are more suitable for applications requiring high speed. All these materials offer clean (oxide-free) interfaces with the biological milieu and are hence amenable to provide a direct coupling between electronics and biology. Particularly important for an emerging field is a materials science approach, according to which the properties of a material are carefully considered and weighed against the demands imposed by a specific application. The papers included in this issue highlight this approach and forecast a bright future for the field of carbon bioelectronics.
We hope that you will enjoy reading this issue.
| This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2013 |