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3D plasmonic nanoantennas integrated with MEA biosensors
Michele Dipalo1, Gabriele C Messina, Hayder Amin
1Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy. francesco.deangelis@iit.it luca.berdondini@iit.it.
Nanoscale
|February 3, 2015
Summary
Researchers developed novel 3D plasmonic nanoantennas integrated with multielectrode arrays to simultaneously record neural electrical activity and molecular signals. This breakthrough enables multi-scale brain circuit analysis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Nanotechnology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Neuronal signaling occurs across multiple scales, from molecular to network levels.
- Existing neurotechnologies struggle to capture signals at these diverse scales simultaneously.
- There is a need for integrated platforms enabling multi-scale neural circuit analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel sensing platform combining nanoscale molecular sensing with large-scale electrical neural activity recordings.
- To integrate 3D plasmonic nanoantennas with multielectrode arrays (MEAs) for multi-scale neural signal acquisition.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of simultaneous electrophysiological and spectroscopic measurements in neuronal cultures.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of 3D plasmonic nanoantennas using ion beam milling and gold deposition.
- Integration of nanoantennas with MEAs for electrical connectivity and plasmonic properties.
- Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations to predict electromagnetic field enhancement.
- Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to validate plasmonic enhancement.
- In vitro testing on cultured rat hippocampal neurons for electrophysiological and spectroscopic recordings.
Main Results:
- FEM simulations predicted high electromagnetic field enhancement by the 3D nanostructures.
- SERS experiments confirmed plasmonic enhancement of approximately 100 times for a model dye.
- Cultured neurons successfully grew on the nanostructured MEA electrodes.
- Extracellular action potentials were recorded from neuronal networks over multiple days.
- Raman spectra of living neurons cultured on the nanoantennas were successfully acquired.
Conclusions:
- The integrated nanoantenna-MEA platform enables simultaneous multi-scale neural recordings.
- This technology offers a novel approach for combining electrophysiology with molecular-level spectroscopic investigations.
- The developed nanostructures show potential for advancing the study of complex brain circuits.
