In materials science, conducting and semiconducting materials can be embedded in insulating polymeric substrates for useful biointerface applications. However, it is challenging to achieve the composite configuration directly using chemical processes. Laser-assisted synthesis is a fast and inexpensive technique used to prepare various materials but their applications in the construction of biophysical tools and biomedical materials remain to be explored. In a new report, Vishnu Nair and a research team in chemistry, molecular engineering, physics and atom probe tomography at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, U.S., used laser writing to convert portions of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) into nitrogen-doped cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC). They facilitated electrochemical and photoelectrochemical activity between the two surfaces by connecting the dense 3C-SiC surface layer to the PDMS matrix using a spongy graphite layer. They developed two-dimensional (2-D) silicon carbide patterns in PDMS and freestanding 3-D constructs. Nair et al. established the function of laser-produced composites by applying flexible electrodes for isolated heart pacing and photoelectrodes for local peroxide delivery to smooth muscle sheets. The work is now published on Science Advances.
