A new diamond biosensor with integrated graphitic microchannels for detecting quantal exocytic events from chromaffin cells

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel all-carbon biosensor with embedded graphitic microchannels in diamond, capable of detecting quantal exocytic events from chromaffin cells with high sensitivity, advancing cellular biosensing technology.

Contribution

The work demonstrates a new fabrication method for all-carbon biosensors using MeV-ion-microbeam lithography in diamond, enabling high-performance detection of cellular exocytic events.

Findings

Successful fabrication of graphitic microchannels in diamond.

High sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio in detecting exocytic events.

Potential for monolithic all-carbon cellular biosensors.

Abstract

The quantal release of catecholamines from neuroendocrine cells is a key mechanism which has been investigated with a broad range of materials and devices, among which carbon-based materials such as carbon fibers, diamond-like carbon, carbon nanotubes and nanocrystalline diamond. In the present work we demonstrate that a MeV-ion-microbeam lithographic technique can be successfully employed for the fabrication of an all-carbon miniaturized cellular bio-sensor based on graphitic micro-channels embedded in a single-crystal diamond matrix. The device was functionally characterized for the in vitro recording of quantal exocytic events from single chromaffin cells, with high sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio, opening promising perspectives for the realization of monolithic all-carbon cellular biosensors.