The Effect of Laser Structuring of Carbon Nanotubes on the Proliferation of Chondroblasts and Mesenchymal Stem Cells

The density of cartilage cells (chondroblasts) proliferating on a silicon substrate coated with vertically oriented arrays of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was shown to be higher than on a pure silicon substrate. Electron microscopy showed that the cells in a nutrient medium affected the vertical position of the nanotubes in the array. A method for structuring the MWCNT arrays by 100-ns laser pulse scanning and abrasive water processing on planar substrates was developed. As a result of the structuring of the MWCNTs, the arrays become resistant to bending under the influence of the nutrient medium with mesenchymal stem cells. Structured MWCNT arrays were shown to have no toxic or pathological effect on the viability and morphology of stem cells. Thus, such materials can be suggested for use in cell-adhesive components of biomedical devices.