Titanium Dioxide Substrates as Sensors for Detection of Platelets and Extracellular Particles from Blood Plasma

Biosensors are pivotal in biomedical applications, particularly for disease detection, diag-nosis, treatment, health management, and monitoring. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a prom-inent material for biosensors due to its biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and availa-bility in various nanostructured forms. This study explores the interaction of platelets and extracellular vesicles (EVs) with different TiO2 surface morphologies using flow cytometry (FCM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Blood plasma samples were incubated with various TiO2 surfaces to evaluate particle counts and characteristics. FCM results in-dicated a higher abundance of platelets compared to EVs, with significant fragmentation observed post-centrifugation. SEM analysis confirmed platelet activation and fragmenta-tion, with the microflowered TiO2 surface displaying fewer vesicles due to its rough to-pography. The findings suggest that while TiO2 surface structuring minimally impacts par-ticle counts, it influences platelet and EV interactions, highlighting the need for advanced detection techniques and further investigation into surface interactions.