# Laser Induced NanoCarbon Multielectrode Arrays for Neurotransmitter Sensing

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2021 · $423,280

## Abstract

Project Summary
 The real-time measurement of neurotransmitters in vivo in living brain is of utmost importance for
understanding brain functions in normal and pathological conditions and to improve diagnosis and treatments of
neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases.
 High surface area carbon (HSAC), or nanocarbon, has been considered the ideal material for electrochemical
detection of neurotransmitters, due to its outstanding electrochemical properties and chemical inertness.
However, HSAC microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are difficult to fabricate, and the extreme environments needed
for the nanocarbon synthesis limit the choice of substrate to rigid materials that can withstand high temperatures.
Moreover, chemical doping to improve electrochemical sensing also requires high-temperature post-synthesis
processing. Thus, there is an unmet need for fabricating implantable HSAC MEAs on flexible substrates with
tunability of morphology and chemistry, for multisite measurements of neurotransmitters at different temporal
resolutions (ms to min), within and across brain regions (µm to mm).
 To fill this gap, this project introduces a new laser-induced nanocarbon (LINC) fabrication technique, capable
of patterning customizable types of HSAC on-demand directly on flexible polymers. LINC is a new direct-write
process with the unprecedented ability for bottom-up growth of nanocarbons on polymers that act as the carbon
source upon laser irradiation. Our inventive approach enables for the first time, a fast, low-cost, batch-fabrication
of HSAC MEAs in a highly reproducible way, without the need of high-temperature carbon synthesis, or multistep
microfabrication processes. Importantly, LINC allows in situ precise control of the nanocarbon atomic structure,
nanoscale morphology, and surface chemistry. Thus, our HSAC MEAs will be tailored for high-sensitivity
electrochemical detection of different neurotransmitters using two different electrochemical technique: fast scan
cyclic voltammetry (FSCV), for capturing of fast phasic dynamics, and square wave voltammetry (SVW) for
detecting tonic levels. Following a meticulous in vitro optimization, we will determine the effectiveness of the
proposed HSAC MEA in performing electrochemical sensing of electroactive neurotransmitters for acute in vivo
detection of 1) tonic (via SWV) and 2) electrically evoked (via FSCV) dopamine and serotonin release in the rat
dorsal striatum and in the hippocampus (CA2 region) of rat brain, respectively or simultaneously. The successful
completion of this project will provide 1) a cutting-edge technology with the potential to revolutionize the state-
of-the-art of nanocarbon-based MEA fabrication for neurochemical applications, and 2) will provide the scientific
community with a platform for unprecedented studies of neurotransmitters and their interactions in normal and
pathological brain conditions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10288138
- **Project number:** 1R21NS123937-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Mostafa Bedewy
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $423,280
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10288138

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10288138, Laser Induced NanoCarbon Multielectrode Arrays for Neurotransmitter Sensing (1R21NS123937-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10288138. Licensed CC0.

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