A novel transistor controlled by the chemical that provides the energy for our cells’ metabolism could be a big step towards making prosthetic devices that can be wired directly into the nervous system.

Transistors are the fundamental building blocks of electronic gadgets, so finding ways to control them with biological signals could provide a route towards integrating electronics with the body.

Aleksandr Noy at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and colleagues chose to control their transistor with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – the molecular fuel found in nearly all living cells.

The new transistor is made up of a carbon nanotube, which behaves as a semiconductor, bridging the gap between two metal electrodes and coated with an insulating polymer layer that leaves the middle section of the nanotube exposed. The entire device is then coated again, this time with a lipid bi-layer similar to those that form the membranes surrounding our body’s cells.

…

Noy claims that this is the first example of a truly integrated bioelectronic system. “I hope that this type of technology could be used to construct seamless bioelectronic interfaces to allow better communication between living organisms and machines.”

Related posts:

  1. Growing Nanotube Forest.[lang_de]Growing Nanotube Forest.[/lang_de][lang_zh]Growing Nanotube Forest.[/lang_zh]
  2. Nanowire network measures cells’ electrical signals [lang_de]Nanowire network measures cells’ electrical signals [/lang_de][lang_zh]Nanowire network measures cells’ electrical signals [/lang_zh]
  3. Precise nanotechnology biosensor developed
  4. Febuary 2010 Nano & Biotech Round-up[lang_de]Febuary 2010 Nano & Biotech Round-up[/lang_de][lang_zh]Febuary 2010 Nano & Biotech Round-up[/lang_zh]
  5. Radionics, Ruth Drown, and Qaballah[lang_de]Radionics, Ruth Drown, and Qaballah[/lang_de][lang_zh]Radionics, Ruth Drown, and Qaballah[/lang_zh]