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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Silicon Nanowires and Optical Stimulation for Investigations of Intra- and Intercellular Electrical Coupling
Published on: January 28, 2021
Coupling of semiconductor nanowires with neurons and their interfacial structure
Ki-Young Lee1, Sojung Shim, Il-Soo Kim
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 120-749, South Korea. hrhim@kist.re.kr.
Abstract:
We report on the compatibility of various nanowires with hippocampal neurons and the structural study of the neuron-nanowire interface. Si, Ge, SiGe, and GaN nanowires are compatible with hippocampal neurons due to their native oxide, but ZnO nanowires are toxic to neuron due to a release of Zn ion. The interfaces of fixed Si nanowire and hippocampal neuron, cross-sectional samples, were prepared by focused ion beam and observed by transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the processes of neuron were adhered well on the nanowire without cleft.
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