This study demonstrates the control of neuronal survival and development using nitrogen-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond (N-UNCD). We highlight the role of N-UNCD in regulating neuronal activity via near-infrared illumination, demonstrating the generation of stable photocurrents that enhance neuronal survival and neurite outgrowth and foster a more active, synchronized neuronal network. Whole transcriptome RNA sequencing reveals that diamond substrates improve cellular-substrate interaction by upregulating extracellular matrix and gap junction-related genes. Our findings underscore the potential of conductive diamond as a robust and biocompatible platform for noninvasive and effective neural tissue engineering.
@article{arxiv.2510.14994,
title = {Control of Neuronal Survival and Development Using Conductive Diamond},
author = {Samira Falahatdoost and Yair D. J. Prawer and Danli Peng and Andre Chambers and Hualin Zhan and Leon Pope and Alastair Stacey and Arman Ahnood and Hassan N. Al Hashem and Sorel E. De Leon and David J. Garrett and Kate Fox and Michael B. Clark and Michael R. Ibbotson and Steven Prawer and Wei Tong},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2510.14994},
year = {2025}
}