Nanostructured TiO2 thin films as porous cellular interfaces

We report the use of nanostructured TiO2 (NST) as porous cellular adhesion interfaces for microsystems. Integrated NST films and pad arrays with sponge-like morphology were fabricated by aqueous oxidation of Ti films followed by thermal annealing. Cell culture studies indicate significantly (t < 0.02 from the student’s t-test) greater initial attachment of mouse fibroblast cells on porous NST than on silicon dioxide and nitride films for up to 18 h seeding time. Fibroblasts seeded on NST have flat morphology with numerous processes attaching to walls of NST. These results indicate the potential of using NST as porous cell adhesion films and membranes for bioMEMS applications. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)