Carbon nanotube yarn electrodes for enhanced detection of neurotransmitter dynamics in live brain tissue.
This work demonstrates the potential of nanoscale carbon electrode materials for improved detection of electroactive neurotransmitter dynamics in the brain. Individual multiwalled carbon nanotubes were synthesized via chemical vapor deposition, spun into yarns, and used in the fabrication of disk microelectrodes that were subsequently characterized using scanning electron and atomic force microscopies. The carbon nanotube yarn electrodes were coupled with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry and used to discriminately detect rapid neurotransmitter fluctuations in acute brain slices. The results demonstrate that the distinct structural and electronic properties of the nanotubes result in improved selectivity, sensitivity, and spatial resolution, as well as faster apparent electron transfer kinetics when compared to the conventional carbon-fiber microelectrodes typically used in vivo.
Department of Chemistry and ‡Department of Materials Science Engineering, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States.
Andreas C
AC
Schmidt
Xin
X
Wang
Yuntian
Y
Zhu
Leslie A
LA
Sombers
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003217:Conductometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008297:Male; D008839:Microelectrodes; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*
D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents