Biological systems are rich with electrical and mechanical activities. Alongside the well known pathways of biochemical regulation, there exists additional pathways of biological communication governed not by chemical reagents, but by electrical and mechanical signals. Silicon based nanoscale materials and devices represent diverse and powerful tools for achieving nanoscale bioelectric interfaces with cells and tissue. For example, silicon nanowire field effect transistors exhibit exquisite sensitivity in chemical and biological detection and can form strongly coupled electrical interfaces with cellular components. My talk will focus on several biomimetic design considerations toward breaking down the boundary between nonliving and living systems across multiple length scales. I will describe how we experimentally apply these designs in the nanoelectronic systems for building electrically, optically and mechanically active, minimally invasive interfaces with single cells and subcellular components.   Specifically, I will discuss a new synthetic approach to realize the biomineral-like probes for extracellular measurements. In addition, recent progress on optically controlled single cells will also be discussed. Finally, I will describe the prospects in future fundamental studies and applications in the life sciences.

Designing complexity in silicon nanostructures for enhanced bio-interfaces

248th National Meeting (2014)

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