Three-dimensional direct laser writing of biomimetic neuron structures

Building biomimetic neuron structures that emulate the topological features of biological neural networks at multiple scales has been an active area in neuron cell culturing, neuron-chip interface and computer chip design. However, due to the fact that biological neural networks possess extraordinary connectivity and complexity from millimeter down to nanometer scale, with different dendritic branch angles, branch lengths, and branch diameters, previous methods to reproduce the topological features of biological neural networks are either limited to two dimensions or lack of fabrication resolution in building three-dimensional (3D) structures. Here we report on the generation of 3D biomimetic neuron structures at a micrometer scale, with high mechanical stability and controlled topologies by studying the effect of 3D direct laser writing (DLW) on the capillary force. This work provides an optical technology platform to replicate the topological features of biological neural networks and paves the avenue towards more applications of using 3D direct laser writing in engineered neural networks.