Guided neurite growth on patterned carbon nanotubes

A combination of microlithography and chemical vapor deposition is used to engineer patterned vertical multiwalled carbon nanotube substrates. They are used to demonstrate the formation of directed neuronal networks. Multiple substrate geometries and nanotube heights were fabricated to determine the most suitable combination for understanding the cell morphological changes. The interaction between the cell membrane and the nanotube substrate are visually characterized. The viability of the networks on the nanoscale substrates was observed.