Vortex-Aligned Fullerene Nanowhiskers as a Scaffold for Orienting Cell Growth

A versatile method for the rapid fabrication of aligned fullerene C-60 nanowhiskers (C(60)NWs) at the airwater interface is presented. This method is based on the vortex motion of a subphase (water), which directs floating C(60)NWs to align on the water surface according to the direction of rotational flow. Aligned C(60)NWs could be transferred onto many different flat substrates, and, in this case, aligned C(60)NWs on glass substrates were employed as a scaffold for cell culture. Bone forming human osteoblast MG63 cells adhered well to the C(60)NWs, and their growth was found to be oriented with the axis of the aligned C(60)NWs. Cells grown on aligned C(60)NWs were more highly oriented with the axis of alignment than when grown on randomly oriented nanowhiskers. A study of cell proliferation on the C(60)NWs revealed their low toxicity, indicating their potential for use in biomedical applications.