Clément Hébert (a), Davy Carole (c), Franck Omnes (a), Etienne Gheeraert (a)

International audienceNanopores in insulating solid state membranes have recently emerged as potential candidates for sorting, probing and manipulating biopolymers, such as DNA, RNA and proteins in their native environment. Here a simple, fast and cost-effective etching technique to create nanopores in diamond membrane by self-assembled Ni nanoparticles is proposed. In this process, a diamond film is annealed with thin Ni layers at 800-850 degrees C in hydrogen atmosphere. Carbon from the diamond-metal interface is removed as methane by the help of Ni nanoparticles as catalyst and consequently, the nanoparticles enter the crystal volume. In order to optimize the etching process and understand the mechanism the annealed polycrystalline and nanocrystalline diamond films were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the gas composition during the process was investigated by quadrupole mass spectrometer. With this technique, nanopores with lateral size in the range of 15-225 nm and as deep as about 550 nm in diamond membrane were produced without any need for lithography process. A model for etching diamond with Ni explaining the mechanism is discussed

Novel graphene electrode for retinal implants : an in vivo biocompatibility study

Altres ajuts: this work has made use of the Spanish ICTS Network MICRONANOFABS partially supported by MICINN and the ICTS 'NANBIOSIS'.Evaluating biocompatibility is a core essential step to introducing a new material as a candidate for brain-machine interfaces. Foreign body reactions often result in glial scars that can impede the performance of the interface. Having a high conductivity and large electrochemical window, graphene is a candidate material for electrical stimulation with retinal prosthesis. In this study, non-functional devices consisting of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene embedded onto polyimide/SU-8 substrates were fabricated for a biocompatibility study. The devices were implanted beneath the retina of blind P23H rats. Implants were monitored by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and eye fundus which indicated a high stability in vivo up to 3 months before histology studies were done. Microglial reconstruction through confocal imaging illustrates that the presence of graphene on polyimide reduced the number of microglial cells in the retina compared to polyimide alone, thereby indicating a high biocompatibility. This study highlights an interesting approach to assess material biocompatibility in a tissue model of central nervous system, the retina, which is easily accessed optically and surgically

Carbon incorporation in MOCVD of MoS2 thin films grown from an organosulfide precursor

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de CatalunyaWith the rise of two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors and their prospective use in commercial (opto)electronic applications, it has become key to develop scalable and reliable TMD synthesis methods with well-monitored and controlled levels of impurities. While metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) has emerged as the method of choice for large-scale TMD fabrication, carbon (C) incorporation arising during MOCVD growth of TMDs has been a persistent concern-especially in instances where organic chalcogen precursors are desired as a less hazardous alternative to more toxic chalcogen hydrides. However, the underlying mechanisms of such unintentional C incorporation and the effects on film growth and properties are still elusive. Here, we report on the role of C-containing side products of organosulfur precursor pyrolysis in MoS2 thin films grown from molybdenum hexacarbonyl Mo(CO)6 and diethyl sulfide (CH3CH2)2S (DES). By combining in situ gas-phase monitoring with ex situ microscopy and spectroscopy analyses, we systematically investigate the effect of temperature and Mo(CO)6/DES/H2 gas mixture ratios on film morphology, chemical composition, and stoichiometry. Aiming at high-quality TMD growth that typically requires elevated growth temperatures and high DES/Mo(CO)6 precursor ratios, we observed that temperatures above DES pyrolysis onset (â 600 °C) and excessive DES flow result in the formation of nanographitic carbon, competing with MoS2 growth. We found that by introducing H2 gas to the process, DES pyrolysis is significantly hindered, which reduces carbon incorporation. The C content in the MoS2 films is shown to quench the MoS2 photoluminescence and influence the trion-To-exciton ratio via charge transfer. This finding is fundamental for understanding process-induced C impurity doping in MOCVD-grown 2D semiconductors and might have important implications for the functionality and performance of (opto)electronic devices

Multiplexed neural sensor array of graphene solution-gated field-effect transistors

Altres ajuts: this work has made use of the Spanish ICTS Network MICRONANOFABS partially supported by MICINN and the ICTS 'NANBIOSIS', more specifically by the Micro-NanoTechnology Unit of the CIBER in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBERBBN) at the IMB-CNM.Electrocorticography (ECoG) is a well-established technique to monitor electrophysiological activity from the surface of the brain and has proved crucial for the current generation of neural prostheses and brain-computer interfaces. However, existing ECoG technologies still fail to provide the resolution necessary to accurately map highly localized activity across large brain areas, due to the rapidly increasing size of connector footprint with sensor count. This work demonstrates the use of a flexible array of graphene solution-gated field-effect transistors (gSGFET), exploring the concept of multiplexed readout using an external switching matrix. This approach does not only allow for an increased sensor count, but due to the use of active sensing devices (i.e. transistors) over microelectrodes it makes additional buffer transistors redundant, which drastically eases the complexity of device fabrication on flexible substrates. The presented results pave the way for upscaling the gSGFET technology towards large-scale, high-density μECoG-arrays, eventually capable of resolving neural activity down to a single neuron level, while simultaneously mapping large brain regions

Improved metal-graphene contacts for low-noise, high-density microtransistor arrays for neural sensing

Poor metal contact interfaces are one of the main limitations preventing unhampered access to the full potential of two-dimensional materials in electronics. Here we present graphene solution-gated field-effect-transistors (gSGFETs) with strongly improved linearity, homogeneity and sensitivity for small sensor sizes, resulting from ultraviolet ozone (UVO) contact treatment. The contribution of channel and contact region to the total device conductivity and flicker noise is explored experimentally and explained with a theoretical model. Finally, in-vitro recordings of flexible microelectrocorticography (μ-ECoG) probes were performed to validate the superior sensitivity of the UVO-treated gSGFET to brain-like activity. These results connote an important step towards the fabrication of high-density gSGFET μ-ECoG arrays with state-of-the-art sensitivity and homogeneity, thus demonstrating the potential of this technology as a versatile platform for the new generation of neural interfaces

Matrices de microélectrodes tout diamant et composite diamant / nanotubes de carbone pour la neurophysiologie : du matériau aux composants d'interface

Microelectrodes array are powerfull tools for the research on neuroscience. They can be used both in basic research works to understand the flux of information within neural networks and for the creation of neural prosthese. Biocompatible microelectrode with low impedance are need for the optimization of the devices. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and diamond are currently thought to be good candidates to reach these goals. Both are coupled in this work to take advantages of their respective outstanding properties. The study is divided into three main parts. In the first we describe a new anchoring methode to strongly bind carbon nanotubes by burring their base into the nanocrystalline diamond. This new coupling is thought to avoid any dispersion of CNTs that could trigger some toxicity issues, and also to enhance the electronic interface between the two materials. The second part is devoted to the development of an all-diamond microelectrode array. Their electrochemical properties are compared to the carbon nanotube coated electrodes. Finally, some preliminary in-vivo and in-vitro studies were performed to evaluate nanocrystalline diamond and carbon nanotube bicompatibility.Les matrices de microélectrodes sont des puissants outils de recherche pour les neurosciences. Elles sont utilisées aussi bien pour les études fondamentales de la compréhension des échanges d'informations au sein de réseaux neuronaux que pour la réalisation de neuroprothèses. L'optimisation de ces systèmes demande la mise au point de microélectrodes biocompatibles et de faible impédance électrochimique. Les nanotubes de carbone et le diamant sont deux matériaux utilisés pour atteindre ces objectifs. Dans ces travaux de thèses ces derniers sont couplés pour bénéficier de leurs excellentes propriétés. Ce travail se divise en trois grands axes. Le premier consiste à développer une nouvelle méthode d'ancrage des nanotubes de carbone en enterrant leur base dans du diamant nanocristallin. Ce fort ancrage a pour but d'éviter toute dispersion des nanotubes pouvant conduire à des problèmes de toxicité . Dans un deuxième temps, des matrices de microélectrodes entièrement constituées de diamant ont été réalisées. Leurs propriétés électrochimiques ont été comparées à celle de microélectrodes recouvertes de nanotubes. Enfin des études préliminaires de la biocompatibilité du diamant nanocristallin et des nanotube de carbone ont été menées in-vivo et in-vitro

All diamond and diamond/carbon nanotube composite electrode for neurophysiological studies : form the material to the interfacial devices

Les matrices de microélectrodes sont des puissants outils de recherche pour les neurosciences. Elles sont utilisées aussi bien pour les études fondamentales de la compréhension des échanges d'informations au sein de réseaux neuronaux que pour la réalisation de neuroprothèses. L'optimisation de ces systèmes demande la mise au point de microélectrodes biocompatibles et de faible impédance électrochimique. Les nanotubes de carbone et le diamant sont deux matériaux utilisés pour atteindre ces objectifs. Dans ces travaux de thèses ces derniers sont couplés pour bénéficier de leurs excellentes propriétés. Ce travail se divise en trois grands axes. Le premier consiste à développer une nouvelle méthode d'ancrage des nanotubes de carbone en enterrant leur base dans du diamant nanocristallin. Ce fort ancrage a pour but d'éviter toute dispersion des nanotubes pouvant conduire à des problèmes de toxicité . Dans un deuxième temps, des matrices de microélectrodes entièrement constituées de diamant ont été réalisées. Leurs propriétés électrochimiques ont été comparées à celle de microélectrodes recouvertes de nanotubes. Enfin des études préliminaires de la biocompatibilité du diamant nanocristallin et des nanotube de carbone ont été menées in-vivo et in-vitro.Microelectrodes array are powerfull tools for the research on neuroscience. They can be used both in basic research works to understand the flux of information within neural networks and for the creation of neural prosthese. Biocompatible microelectrode with low impedance are need for the optimization of the devices. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and diamond are currently thought to be good candidates to reach these goals. Both are coupled in this work to take advantages of their respective outstanding properties. The study is divided into three main parts. In the first we describe a new anchoring methode to strongly bind carbon nanotubes by burring their base into the nanocrystalline diamond. This new coupling is thought to avoid any dispersion of CNTs that could trigger some toxicity issues, and also to enhance the electronic interface between the two materials. The second part is devoted to the development of an all-diamond microelectrode array. Their electrochemical properties are compared to the carbon nanotube coated electrodes. Finally, some preliminary in-vivo and in-vitro studies were performed to evaluate nanocrystalline diamond and carbon nanotube bicompatibility

Porous diamond with high electrochemical performance

International audienceSynthetic diamond materials are currently attracting attention for applications such as thin films supercapacitors or medical implantable electrodes where chemically stable materials featuring high double layer capacitance as well as low electrochemical impedance are sought. Those properties may be reached with high aspect ratio diamond provided that current collection is done efficiently through the diamond layer. In this paper, we introduce a very novel material, namely SPDiam (TM), based on boron-doped diamond grown on a highly porous polypyrrole scaffold prepared by chemical vapour deposition. This composite was first characterised by SEM and Raman spectroscopy to check the diamond crystallinity and the structural evolution of the polypyrrole during the CVD process. Then cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were performed to assess its electrochemical reactivity. It was found to exhibit remarkable properties, that include a large double layer capacitance with values reaching up to 3 mF cm(-2) in aqueous LiClO4 and a low electrochemical impedance, thus highly competitive with respect to other nanostructured diamond materials as recently reported

Non-volatile photo-switch using a diamond pn junction diamond

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How a diamond pn junction can be used to fabricate a non-volatile photo-switch?

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