We propose the development of an innovative plasmonic-electronic multifunctional platform, capable at the same time
of performing chemical analysis and electronic recordings from a cellular interface. The system, based on 3D hollow
metallic nanotubes, integrated on customized multi-electrode-arrays, allows the study of neuronal signaling over
different lengths, spanning from the molecular, to the cellular, to the network scale. Here we show that the same
structures are efficient electric field enhancers, despite the continuous metal layer at the base, which connects them to
the electric components of the integrated circuits. The methodology we propose, due to its simplicity and high
throughput, has the potential for further improvements both in the field of plasmonics, and in the integration on large
areas of commercial active electronic devices.
|