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    Effective Neural Photostimulation Using Indium-Based Type-II Quantum Dots

    Year: 2018

    Journal: ACS Nano, Volume 12, AUG, page 8104–8114

    Authors: Jalali, Houman Bahmani; Aria, Mohammad Mohammadi; Dikbas, Ugur Meric; Sadeghi, Sadra; Kumar, Baskaran Ganesh; Sahin, Mehmet; Kavakli, Ibrahim Hahl; Ow-Yang, Cleva W.; Nizamoglu, Sedat

    Organizations: European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme [639846]

    Keywords: quantum dot; indium phosphide; zinc oxide; type-II core/shell; neural; photostimulation; biocompatible

    Light-induced stimulation of neurons via photoactive surfaces offers rich opportunities for the development of therapeutic methods and high-resolution retinal prosthetic devices. Quantum dots serve as an attractive building block for such surfaces, as they can be easily functionalized to match the biocompatibility and charge transport requirements of cell stimulation. Although indium based colloidal quantum dots with type-I band alignment have attracted significant attention as a nontoxic alternative to cadmium-based ones, little attention has been paid to their photovoltaic potential as type-II heterostructures. Herein, we demonstrate type-II indium phosphide/zinc oxide core/shell quantum dots that are incorporated into a photoelectrode structure for neural photostimulation. This induces a hyperpolarizing bioelectrical current that triggers the firing of a single neural cell at 4 mu W mm(-2), 26-fold lower than the ocular safety limit for continuous exposure to visible light. These findings show that nanomaterials can induce a biocompatible and effective biological junction and can introduce a route in the use of quantum dots in photoelectrode architectures for artificial retinal prostheses.
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