Berlin 2012 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 18: Posters: Statistical Physics in Biological Systems

BP 18.36: Poster

Wednesday, March 28, 2012, 17:30–19:30, Poster A

Biocompatibility of Parylene-coated GaAs Substrates and Microtubes — •Cornelius Bausch, Eric Stava, and Robert Blick — Institute for Applied Physics, University of Hamburg

The strain caused by the mismatch of the lattice constants of two epitaxially grown semiconductor layers can be exploited to roll up microtubes. Recently, arrays of such semiconductor tubes have been fabricated as a method to create three-dimensional spatial confinement for in vitro neurite outgrowth. Thereby, the tube walls resemble the myelin sheath, which accelerates signal propagation through the axon.

Our rolled-up microtubes are fabricated from gallium arsenide, which is known to be toxic. Parylene C, a biocompatible, chemical vapor deposited poly(p-xylylene) polymer, can be used as a coating to prevent the poisonous effects of As. We test the biocompatibility of GaAs substrates coated with parylene by means of cell culture. Additionally, we test the layer quality of the parylene coating on the outside and inside of GaAs-semiconductor tubes.

[1] Yu, M. R. et al., Semiconductor Nanomembrane Tubes: Three-Dimensional Confinement for Controlled Neurite Outgrowth. Acs Nano 5, 2447-2457 (2011)