Directional neurite outgrowth on superaligned carbon nanotube yarn patterned substrate.

Superaligned carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn patterned substrates were developed as the topographic scaffold for guiding the neurite outgrowth. As-prepared patterned substrates were used for culturing rat hippocampal neurons, without purifying and functionalizing processes on the CNTs. The neurite outgrowth on the patterned substrate exhibited a strong tendency to being aligned along the CNT yarns long axes. The neurite grown along the CNT yarns had much less branching than the one on a uniform planar substrate typically used for neuron culture. These results indicate that the pure CNT yarns possess the main characteristics of a guidance scaffold for neurite outgrowth. Furthermore, the CNT yarns can be mass produced and be easily weaved into desired structures, which may make them attractive for neuronal regeneration and tissue engineering.