Mimicking Axon Growth and Pruning by Photocatalytic Growth and Chemical Dissolution of Gold on Titanium Dioxide Patterns
Biological neural circuits are based on the interplay of excitatory and inhibitory events to achieve functionality. Axons form long-range information highways in neural circuits. Axon pruning, i.e., the removal of exuberant axonal connections, is essential in network remodeling. We propose the photo...
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| author | Fatemeh Abshari Moritz Paulsen Salih Veziroglu Alexander Vahl Martina Gerken |
| author_facet | Fatemeh Abshari Moritz Paulsen Salih Veziroglu Alexander Vahl Martina Gerken |
| author_sort | Fatemeh Abshari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Biological neural circuits are based on the interplay of excitatory and inhibitory events to achieve functionality. Axons form long-range information highways in neural circuits. Axon pruning, i.e., the removal of exuberant axonal connections, is essential in network remodeling. We propose the photocatalytic growth and chemical dissolution of gold lines as a building block for neuromorphic computing mimicking axon growth and pruning. We predefine photocatalytic growth areas on a surface by structuring titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) patterns. Placing the samples in a gold chloride (HAuCl<sub>4</sub>) precursor solution, we achieve the controlled growth of gold microstructures along the edges of the indium tin oxide (ITO)/TiO<sub>2</sub> patterns under ultraviolet (UV) illumination. A potassium iodide (KI) solution is employed to dissolve the gold microstructures. We introduce a real-time monitoring setup based on an optical transmission microscope. We successfully observe both the growth and dissolution processes. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis confirms the morphological changes before and after dissolution, with dissolution rates closely aligned to the growth rates. These findings demonstrate the potential of this approach to emulate dynamic biological processes, paving the way for future applications in adaptive neuromorphic systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bbdd22a6760a4d478b91058904b87427 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-bbdd22a6760a4d478b91058904b874272025-01-10T13:18:52ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492024-12-013019910.3390/molecules30010099Mimicking Axon Growth and Pruning by Photocatalytic Growth and Chemical Dissolution of Gold on Titanium Dioxide PatternsFatemeh Abshari0Moritz Paulsen1Salih Veziroglu2Alexander Vahl3Martina Gerken4Chair for Integrated Systems and Photonics, Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kiel University, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, GermanyChair for Integrated Systems and Photonics, Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kiel University, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, GermanyChair for Multicomponent Materials, Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Engineering, Kiel University, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, GermanyChair for Multicomponent Materials, Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Engineering, Kiel University, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, GermanyChair for Integrated Systems and Photonics, Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kiel University, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, GermanyBiological neural circuits are based on the interplay of excitatory and inhibitory events to achieve functionality. Axons form long-range information highways in neural circuits. Axon pruning, i.e., the removal of exuberant axonal connections, is essential in network remodeling. We propose the photocatalytic growth and chemical dissolution of gold lines as a building block for neuromorphic computing mimicking axon growth and pruning. We predefine photocatalytic growth areas on a surface by structuring titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) patterns. Placing the samples in a gold chloride (HAuCl<sub>4</sub>) precursor solution, we achieve the controlled growth of gold microstructures along the edges of the indium tin oxide (ITO)/TiO<sub>2</sub> patterns under ultraviolet (UV) illumination. A potassium iodide (KI) solution is employed to dissolve the gold microstructures. We introduce a real-time monitoring setup based on an optical transmission microscope. We successfully observe both the growth and dissolution processes. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis confirms the morphological changes before and after dissolution, with dissolution rates closely aligned to the growth rates. These findings demonstrate the potential of this approach to emulate dynamic biological processes, paving the way for future applications in adaptive neuromorphic systems.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/1/99photocatalytic depositionchemical dissolutiongoldtitanium dioxidepotassium iodide solutionindium tin oxide |
| spellingShingle | Fatemeh Abshari Moritz Paulsen Salih Veziroglu Alexander Vahl Martina Gerken Mimicking Axon Growth and Pruning by Photocatalytic Growth and Chemical Dissolution of Gold on Titanium Dioxide Patterns Molecules photocatalytic deposition chemical dissolution gold titanium dioxide potassium iodide solution indium tin oxide |
| title | Mimicking Axon Growth and Pruning by Photocatalytic Growth and Chemical Dissolution of Gold on Titanium Dioxide Patterns |
| title_full | Mimicking Axon Growth and Pruning by Photocatalytic Growth and Chemical Dissolution of Gold on Titanium Dioxide Patterns |
| title_fullStr | Mimicking Axon Growth and Pruning by Photocatalytic Growth and Chemical Dissolution of Gold on Titanium Dioxide Patterns |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mimicking Axon Growth and Pruning by Photocatalytic Growth and Chemical Dissolution of Gold on Titanium Dioxide Patterns |
| title_short | Mimicking Axon Growth and Pruning by Photocatalytic Growth and Chemical Dissolution of Gold on Titanium Dioxide Patterns |
| title_sort | mimicking axon growth and pruning by photocatalytic growth and chemical dissolution of gold on titanium dioxide patterns |
| topic | photocatalytic deposition chemical dissolution gold titanium dioxide potassium iodide solution indium tin oxide |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/1/99 |
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