Sustainable Poly(Lactic Acid)/Graphene Oxide Bioelectronic Platform for Neurotransmitters Sensing and Tunable Stimulation of Astrocytes
Journal article, 2026
Biocompatible and biodegradable electrode platforms were developed using laser-scribed poly(lactic acid)/graphene oxide (PLA/GO) composites, prepared via an innovative waterborne dispersion method. Laser treatment enabled the formation of graphene/graphite-like structures. By varying the fluence of the laser used, it was possible to modulate the physico–chemical properties of the conductive traces obtained, finally leading to materials characterized by tunable sheet resistance, chemical structure, and morphology. Thanks to the low charge transfer resistance and the peculiar electrocatalytic and antifouling properties observed, the platforms were applied as electrochemical sensors for the detection of various biomarkers in biological fluids, namely ascorbic and uric acid, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and catecholamine-based neurotransmitters, outperforming commercial carbon screen-printed electrodes. Contextually, laser-scribed electrodes were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of a novel approach for selectively stimulating Ca2+ signaling in astrocytes. The results here reported open the possibility to apply laser-scribed PLA/GO as innovative eco-sustainable solutions for simultaneous treatment of pathological conditions and monitoring of the resulting neurotransmitter expression in in vitro and in vivo models.
electrochemical neurotransmitter sensing
laser-scribed bioelectronics
sustainable neurotechnology
astrocyte calcium signaling
graphene-based neural interfaces
biodegradable electrodes
PLA/graphene oxide composites
Author
A. Scidà
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Giulia Cazzador
Universita Ca' Foscari Venezia
Roberta Fabbri
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Matteo Calosi
University of Ferrara
Alessandro Silvestri
Universita Ca' Foscari Venezia
Andrea Candini
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
F. Liscio
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Franco Corticelli
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Aikaterini Konstantoulaki
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Andrea D'Iorio
University of Ferrara
Marco Caprini
University of Bologna
Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna
Vincenzo Palermo
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Materials and manufacture
Monica Bertoldo
University of Ferrara
V. Benfenati
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Chiara Zanardi
Universita Ca' Foscari Venezia
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
E. Treossi
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Advanced Materials
09359648 (ISSN) 15214095 (eISSN)
Vol. In PressSubject Categories (SSIF 2025)
Materials Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry
DOI
10.1002/adma.74487