Carbon-nanotube Biofibre Microelectrodes

Summary Novel all-biocompatible carbon nanotube fibres were formed using wet-spinning. In this process the spinning solutions used are carbon nanotubes dispersed using biomolecules such as hyaluronic acid and chitosan. We compare the effect of a coagulation bath containing either a polymer binder e.g. polyethylene imine or simply a precipitating solvent system e.g. acetone; the electrical, mechanical and morphological properties of the resulting fibres were studied. Novel biocompatible electrode structures were generated suitable for a variety of biomedical applications, e.g. in biosensors or in systems where the application of an electrical field is advantageous (such as stimulation of electrically excitable cells such as nerve and muscle cells).