Fabrication of high density metallic nanowires and nanotubes for cell culture studies

We report a simple method for the fabrication of high density metallic nanowires and nanotubes by electrodeposition using polycarbonate (PC) and anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane as templates. The diameters and the aspect ratio of the fabricated features could be controlled by choosing the pore size of the template and adjusting the current density and the duration of the electrodeposition. To illustrate the biocompatibility of the fabricated metallic nanowires and nanotubes, cell adhesion and cell proliferation experiments were performed using HeLa cells. This assay strategy might be useful in cell-material interaction studies as well as genetic material transfer and drug delivery.