Development of Hybrid Piezoelectric Microdevices for Bioapplications

In the field of bioelectronic medicine, the use of electrodes is extended for the recording and application of bioelectrical signals. Among these bioelectrical signals, many of them take place in the interface that is the plasmatic cell membrane. The cell membrane presents an intrinsic voltage difference in between the interior of the cell and the external environment, known as transmembrane potential. Ion channels in the membrane allow a balance of the intracellular and extracellular ionic concentration. Several ionic channels can be controlled through electrical stimuli. Thus, by affecting these signals, processes on cellular behaviour and intercellular communications can be guided. In this study we aim to integrate ZnO nanosheets (NSs) on silicon microparticles, creating a hybrid piezoelectric microdevice capable of stimulating voltage-gated ion channels in the cell membrane for their use in bioelectronic applications.