Transparent microarrays of vertically aligned carbon nanofibers as a multimodal tissue interface

The incorporation of nanostructured materials as functional elements of microscale devices can enhance the application of these systems for biological interfacing. Vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs) have been applied as highly spatially resolved electrodes in electrophysiological interfacing to tissue. Further, their high aspect ratio enables them to penetrate into cells of tissue matrices for intracellular molecular manipulation. To date, studies investigating the interactions of VACNFs with cellular processes have been limited by the use of opaque substrate materials (predominantly silicon) which interferes with optical imaging. In this paper, we discuss improved methods for fabrication of VACNF-based devices on transparent, fused silica substrates and provide data regarding the application of these devices for multimodal neuronal interfacing, including both electrophysiological and genetic manipulation of tissue.