Siliconnanowires (SiNWs) have emerged as a new class of materials with importantapplications in biology and medicine with current efforts having focusedprimarily on using substrate bound SiNW devices. However, developingdevices capable of free-standing inter- and intracellular operationis an important next step in designing new synthetic cellular materialsand tools for biophysical characterization. To demonstrate this, herewe show that label free SiNWs can be internalized in multiple celllines, forming robust cytoskeletal interfaces, and when kinked canserve as free-standing inter- and intracellular force probes capableof continuous extended (>1 h) force monitoring. Our results showthat intercellular interactions exhibit ratcheting like behavior withforce peaks of ∼69.6 pN/SiNW, while intracellular force peaksof ∼116.9 pN/SiNW were recorded during smooth muscle contraction.To accomplish this, we have introduced a simple single-capture dark-field/phasecontrast optical imaging modality, scatter enhanced phase contrast(SEPC), which enables the simultaneous visualization of both cellularcomponents and inorganic nanostructures. This approach demonstratesthat rationally designed devices capable of substrate-independentoperation are achievable, providing a simple and scalable method forcontinuous inter- and intracellular force dynamics studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]