Engineering gold biointerfaces with mixed short-chain thiols: Electrochemical and cellular studies

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) provide a powerful approach for engineering surface properties at the molecular level, widely utilized in biosensing, catalysis, and biomedical applications. Thiol-based SAMs, due to their strong gold-binding affinity and customizable functional groups, are particularly suited for modifying surfaces to influence cell-surface interactions. In this study, we prepared mixed SAMs of 2-thiophenethiol (TT) and 2-mercaptoethanol (ME) in varying ratios on gold-coated substrates to evaluate their impact on electrochemical performance, surface morphology, and neural cell behaviour. Among the tested compositions, the equal TT:ME ratio was the most promising formulation, promoting enhanced neurite outgrowth while minimizing astrocytic activation. These findings highlight the potential of mixed thiol SAMs for improving neural interface integration through chemical modification.