Method to impart electro- and biofunctionality to neural scaffolds using graphene-polyelectrolyte multilayers

Abstract

Electroactive scaffolds that are passively conductive and able to transmit applied electrical stimuli are of increasing importance for neural tissue engineering. Here, we report a process of rendering both 2D and 3D polymer scaffolds electrically conducting, while also enhancing neuron attachment. Graphene-heparin/poly-l-lysine polyelectrolytes were assembled via layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition onto 2D surfaces and 3D electrospun nanofibers. The employed LbL coating technique in this work enables the electro- and biofunctionalization of complex 3D scaffold structures. LbL assembly was characterized by a steady mass increase during the in situ deposition process in 2D, with regular step chang..