Evaluating biocompatibility of semiconductive gallium nitride, flat and nano-structured silicon chips by cell viability, adhesion and growth

We show that two dominant semiconductors gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon nanorods (SiNR) exhibit excellent biocompatibility, the most important property in the research of biomedical materials. The result of MTT assays indicates no cytotoxicity and the observation of cellular morphology further reveals outstanding adhesion and extension of L929 cells (mouse fibroblasts) in both the GaN and silicon substrates. Consequently, combining the advantages of semiconductors including controllable electric properties and mature fabrication with the demonstrated favorable biocompatibility, GaN and SiNR are promising materials for neuron bio-chips, medical devices and other bio-medical application.