Thesis presented February 13, 2009

Abstract:
In order to produce electrodes for bioelectronic applications, polycrystalline and homoepitaxial (100) and (111) boron doped diamond films were synthesized. Those films were grown by plasma enhanced CVD and characterized by cathodoluminescence, Raman, and SEM. First, diamond biocompatibility was studied according to different parameters (doping, roughness and crystalline orientation), through the culture of two different cell lines: fibroblasts and pre-osteoblasts. Biotin was locally grafted in several steps, using electrospotting of diazonium salts. Chronopotentiometry, through the electrografting of aryl diazonium-derivatized ruthenium-complex, allows controlling the electrogenerated film thickness as demonstrated using electrochemical and XPS characterizations. Finally, a new hybrid structure carbon nanotubes/diamond was realized and nanotubes were used as spacer arm to graft biotin.

Keywords:
Boron doped diamond, biocompatibility, biofunctionalization, diazonium salts, biotin, carbon nanotubes

On-line thesis.