Diamond-based platform for biological investigations

Space bio-research calls for innovative materials to boost technological innovations. Presently, among of the most advanced material, there are CVD diamond thin films exploitable to make innovative biosensors thanks to their exceptional properties. Differently from most common semiconductors like Si and Ge, the electronic properties of diamond can be modulated with respect to the kind of surface termination. In fact, when the surface is hydrogen terminated, a p-type lateral doping is generated and the diamond surface becomes conductive. On the contrary, an oxygen termination prevents the formation of sub-surface carriers determining an insulating character. Moreover, diamond differentiates from the other common platforms such as silicon and gold for the higher chemical stability of the functionalized surfaces. Patterned cell growth requires a stable grafting of functional groups. This holds especially when experiments are performed in space with additional degree of complexity. In this work we explore the possibility to use a diamond based platform to perform biological investigations on cells in a space environment. All the diamond properties here described are considered in view of the construction of a microarray of cell labs. We present the first results which show the possibility to make a diamond-based biosensor using a field effect transistor (FET). Aminic groups were grafted in order to promote the cell adhesion in the sensing area of the FET. Finally, we demonstrate that, due to their optical properties, the diamond films can be exploited in the microlab to increase the diagnostic efficiency of the device