Conductive and flexible materials containing graphene-DNA hybrids for cell culture applications

Multifunctional materials designed by integrating a nano-hybrid component with bioactive and electrically conductive properties in a polymeric support matrix have many attractive features for applications in the biomedical and biotechnology fields. For example, it is well known that cells sense the stiffness of their microenvironment, and they can regulate their shape and proliferation according to the rigidity of the underlying substrate. Moreover, flexible substrates that are also electrically conductive can be an ideal tool in applications involving electro-responsive cells, such as the neuronal cells. In previous work from our group it was established that nanostructured films made by DNA-solubilized carbon nanotubes, retain their electrical conductivity, as indicated by atomic force microscopy experiments combined with electrical measurements on the nanoscale level. Here, we use a similar procedure to solubilize graphene nanoplatelets in DNA solutions and then embed the self-assembled hybrid in a flexible polymer matrix based on silicone polymers.