Origin of enhanced stem cell growth and differentiation on graphene and graphene oxide.

The culture of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as well as the control of its differentiation toward different tissue lineage, is a very important part of tissue engineering, where cells are combined with artificial scaffold to regenerate tissues. Graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO) sheets are soft membranes with high in-plane stiffness and can potentially serve as a biocompatible, transferable, and implantable platform for stem cell culture. While the healthy proliferation of stem cells on various carbon platforms has been demonstrated, the chemical role of G and GO, if any, in guiding uncommitted stem cells toward differentiated cells is not known.