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Vertically Aligned Carbon
Nanofibers for Biointerfacing
Ryan Pearce, Timothy E. McKnight, and Anatoli Melechko
12.1 Introduction
Vertically aligned carbon nanobers (VACNFs), stacked cylinders of graphitic carbon, pos-
sess many properties that make them attractive structures for implementation as interfaces
to biological systems on a cellular level or subcellular level. Their geometric dimensions,
from tens to hundreds of nanometers in diameter, and from a few hundred nanometers to
a hundred micrometers long, along with their mechanical properties facilitate their use as
nanoneedles, suitable for insertion into tissue or single cells. Their ...