The Gemstone Cyborg: How Diamond Films Are Creating New Platforms for Cell Regeneration and Biointerfacing

Diamond is a promising material for the biomedical field, mainly due to its set of characteristics such as biocompatibility, strength, and electrical conductivity. Diamond can be synthesised in the laboratory by different methods, is available in the form of plates or films deposited on foreign substrates, and its morphology varies from microcrystalline diamond to ultrananocrystalline diamond. In this review, we summarise some of the most relevant studies regarding the adhesion of cells onto diamond surfaces, the consequent cell growth, and, in some very interesting cases, the differentiation of cells into neurons and oligodendrocytes. We discuss how different morphologies can affect cell adhesion and how surface termination can influence the surface hydrophilicity and consequent attachment of adherent proteins. At the end of the review, we present a brief perspective on how the results from cell adhesion and biocompatibility can make way for the use of diamond as biointerface.

Automated summary

Diamond shows great potential in the biomedical field due to its biocompatibility, strength, and electrical conductivity. It can be synthesized in the lab using various methods and exists in different morphologies from microcrystalline to ultrananocrystalline diamond. This review summarizes relevant studies on cell adhesion, cell growth, and differentiation on diamond surfaces, and discusses how morphologies and surface termination can affect cell behavior. The review also presents a perspective on the use of diamond as a biointerface based on the results of cell adhesion and biocompatibility.