Highly enhanced compatibility of human brain vascular pericyte cells on monolayer graphene.

We introduce a method for increasing the compatibility of human brain vascular pericyte (HBVP) cells on a glass substrate, based on wet transferred monolayer graphene without any treatment. As a novel material, graphene has key properties for incubating cells, such as chemical stability, transparency, appropriate roughness, hydrophobicity and high electrical conductivity. These outstanding properties of graphene were examined by Raman spectroscopy, water contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy. The performance of this graphene-based implant was investigated by a cell compatibility test, comparing the growth rate of cells on the graphene surface and that on a bare glass substrate. After an incubation period of 72 h, the number of live HBVP cells on a graphene surface with an area of 1×1 mm2 was 1.83 times greater than that on the glass substrate.