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Transducing light for cell activity modulation

In the last several decades, input/output (I/O) interfaces with electroactive cells and tissues have steadily improved through a variety of techniques and materials, enabling increased spatial and temporal control. Light-based techniques utilize light’s ability to non-invasively pass through tissue to develop cell interfaces, typically by genetically modifying cells to exhibit optical sensitivity. We are working on optical modulation of cells and tissue activity using nanomaterials to resolve the limitations of the state-of-the-art platforms towards high spatiotemporal resolution, low cytotoxicity, and without any genetic manipulation. We are designing and building up a library through several material classes, including graphene nanostructures, Si nanowires, and 2-dimensional MXene nanoplatelets. These materials, synthesized through solution processing, chemical vapour deposition, and plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition, transduce light to either heat or electricity for optical neural modulation, and act as the foundation for the next generation of light-based neural interfaces. Our current work is targeting the development of photovoltaic systems through doped-graphene/Si heterostructures to maximize optical response for translational research.