Embedded Printing-Derived Pyrolytic Carbon Electrodes with Graphene-like Features for Neural Stem Cell Differentiation and Dopamine Sensing
- 1University of Rome Tor Vergata
Abstract
Carbon is a versatile electrode material that is used in applications ranging from electrical energy storage and electrosynthesis to CO2 conversion, H2 production, and biosensing. The development of pyrolytic carbon electrodes derived from lithographically patterned photoresist structures has expanded the possibilities for creating diverse 2D and 3D electrode designs. In this paper, we present disc-shaped SU-8-derived pyrolytic carbon scaffold electrodes with an open hexagonal honeycomb lattice. The scaffolds were fabricated, using embedded 3D printing within a shear-thinning support bath composed of fused silica nanoparticles (7% w/v) in mineral oil. The rheological properties of the support bath were optimized to enable the printing of low-viscosity materials like SU-8, which would otherwise lack structural integrity in standard extrusion-based 3D printing. The SU-8 scaffolds were then pyrolyzed and characterized using SEM, Raman spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray, X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometry, and Transmission Electron Microscopy, which revealed graphene-like 'microflowers' on its surface. Electrochemical analysis demonstrated excellent electrochemical properties. The functionality of the scaffold electrodes was validated by differentiation of human neural stem cells into dopaminergic neurons on the scaffold surface, followed by real-time detection of dopamine exocytosis upon cell depolarization.
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BibTeX
@misc{gurbuz2026embedded,
title = {{Embedded Printing-Derived Pyrolytic Carbon Electrodes with Graphene-like Features for Neural Stem Cell Differentiation and Dopamine Sensing}},
author = {H. Gurbuz and A. A. Dogan and B. Rezaei and G. Scordo and T. W. Hansen and J. Kajtez and M. P. Pereira and S. S. Keller and M. Dufva and A. Heiskanen and J. Emneus},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.04.756553},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.04.756553v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Embedded Printing-Derived Pyrolytic Carbon Electrodes with Graphene-like Features for Neural Stem Cell Differentiation and Dopamine Sensing
AU - H. Gurbuz
AU - A. A. Dogan
AU - B. Rezaei
AU - G. Scordo
AU - T. W. Hansen
AU - J. Kajtez
AU - M. P. Pereira
AU - S. S. Keller
AU - M. Dufva
AU - A. Heiskanen
AU - J. Emneus
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/04
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.04.756553
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.04.756553v1
AB - Carbon is a versatile electrode material that is used in applications ranging from electrical energy storage and electrosynthesis to CO2 conversion, H2 production, and biosensing. The development of pyrolytic carbon electrodes derived from lithographically patterned photoresist structures has expanded the possibilities for creating diverse 2D and 3D electrode designs. In this paper, we present disc-shaped SU-8-derived pyrolytic carbon scaffold electrodes with an open hexagonal honeycomb lattice. The scaffolds were fabricated, using embedded 3D printing within a shear-thinning support bath composed of fused silica nanoparticles (7% w/v) in mineral oil. The rheological properties of the support bath were optimized to enable the printing of low-viscosity materials like SU-8, which would otherwise lack structural integrity in standard extrusion-based 3D printing. The SU-8 scaffolds were then pyrolyzed and characterized using SEM, Raman spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray, X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometry, and Transmission Electron Microscopy, which revealed graphene-like 'microflowers' on its surface. Electrochemical analysis demonstrated excellent electrochemical properties. The functionality of the scaffold electrodes was validated by differentiation of human neural stem cells into dopaminergic neurons on the scaffold surface, followed by real-time detection of dopamine exocytosis upon cell depolarization.
ER -