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Disordered Graphene/Quartz Fabric as Biocompatible and Conductive Scaffold Promising for Regulated Growth and Differentiation of Nerve Cells

Nowadays, the use of topographical features and electrical conductivity of scaffolds at the cell–substrate interface for effectively regulating cell growth and differentiation have gained increasing attention due to great demands for nerve regeneration and tissue engineering. Here, we demonstrate a facile approach to the growth of highly disordered graphene nanosheets (HDGNs) on a cheap and weaving quartz braided structure as a functionalized scaffold for the differentiation of nerve cells. The patterned aligned structure can effectively integrate the advantages of a conductive graphene functional interface (favorable for cell attachment and growth), topologically woven surface structure, providing a flexible and multifunctional regulatory platform for nerve cell growth. Compared with monocrystal polycrystalline graphene, amorphous graphene has high biocompatibility due to sufficient active sites, and has high conductivity to the composite non?conductive substrate, which can realize electrical stimulation of cell differentiation. We prove the HDGN/quartz fabric with high biocompatibility (the cell viability was 98%), and great electrical conductivity. Then, the applied electrical stimulation couple with HDGN/quartz fabric significantly enhances selective neuronal differentiation into neurons (the differentiation growth rate is 131%). Collectively, our work provides a new material basis for photoelectric synergistic induction of cell growth and differentiation, provides more possibilities for the development of intelligent biological applications, and has a good commercial prospect.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Publication date: 20/04/2023

Author: Qian Gong, Jing Hong, Ming Ren, Zongjie Shen, Siqi Zhu, Ying Hao, Zhanchi Zhu, Li Li, Lixing Kang, Jiangtao Di, Guosheng Cheng, Qingwen Li

Advanced Engineering Materials

      

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 870292.