2021
1
Optically transparent vertical silicon nanowire arrays for live-cell imaging
Roey Elnathan; Andrew W. Holle; Jennifer Young; Marina A. George; Omri Heifler; Andriy Goychuk; Erwin Frey; Ralf Kemkemer; Joachim P. Spatz; Alon Kosloff; Fernando Patolsky; Nicolas H. Voelcker
In: Journal of Nanobiotechnology, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 51, 2021, ISSN: 1477-3155.
Biomaterials-CellsBionanoelectronicsIntracellular Delivery Techniques for Biomolecular ApplicationsNanofabrication and NanopatterningNanowiresScanning Probe MicroscopySilicon Photonics
@article{elnathan_optically_2021,
title = {Optically transparent vertical silicon nanowire arrays for live-cell imaging},
author = {Roey Elnathan and Andrew W. Holle and Jennifer Young and Marina A. George and Omri Heifler and Andriy Goychuk and Erwin Frey and Ralf Kemkemer and Joachim P. Spatz and Alon Kosloff and Fernando Patolsky and Nicolas H. Voelcker},
url = {https://jnanobiotechnology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12951-021-00795-7},
doi = {10.1186/s12951-021-00795-7},
issn = {1477-3155},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-12-01},
urldate = {2026-05-29},
journal = {Journal of Nanobiotechnology},
volume = {19},
number = {1},
pages = {51},
abstract = {Programmable nano-bio interfaces driven by tuneable vertically configured nanostructures have recently emerged as a powerful tool for cellular manipulations and interrogations. Such interfaces have strong potential for ground-breaking advances, particularly in cellular nanobiotechnology and mechanobiology. However, the opaque nature of many nanostructured surfaces makes non-destructive, live-cell characterization of cellular behavior on vertically aligned nanostructures challenging to observe. Here, a new nanofabrication route is proposed that enables harvesting of vertically aligned silicon (Si) nanowires and their subsequent transfer onto an optically transparent substrate, with high efficiency and without artefacts. We demonstrate the potential of this route for efficient live-cell phase contrast imaging and subsequent characterization of cells growing on vertically aligned Si nanowires. This approach provides the first opportunity to understand dynamic cellular responses to a cell-nanowire interface, and thus has the potential to inform the design of future nanoscale cellular manipulation technologies.},
keywords = {Biomaterials-Cells, Bionanoelectronics, Intracellular Delivery Techniques for Biomolecular Applications, Nanofabrication and Nanopatterning, Nanowires, Scanning Probe Microscopy, Silicon Photonics},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Programmable nano-bio interfaces driven by tuneable vertically configured nanostructures have recently emerged as a powerful tool for cellular manipulations and interrogations. Such interfaces have strong potential for ground-breaking advances, particularly in cellular nanobiotechnology and mechanobiology. However, the opaque nature of many nanostructured surfaces makes non-destructive, live-cell characterization of cellular behavior on vertically aligned nanostructures challenging to observe. Here, a new nanofabrication route is proposed that enables harvesting of vertically aligned silicon (Si) nanowires and their subsequent transfer onto an optically transparent substrate, with high efficiency and without artefacts. We demonstrate the potential of this route for efficient live-cell phase contrast imaging and subsequent characterization of cells growing on vertically aligned Si nanowires. This approach provides the first opportunity to understand dynamic cellular responses to a cell-nanowire interface, and thus has the potential to inform the design of future nanoscale cellular manipulation technologies.