LLL55 - Platinum nanorod (ptnr) microelectrodes record action potentials from the cortical surface

M. GANJI; L. HOSSAIN; E. ARNEODO; J. HERMIZ; A. PAULK; V. GILJA; S. CASH; E. HALGREN; T. GENTNER; S. DAYEH

San Diego

Conferencia; SfN 2018; 2018

Society for Neuroscience

Microelectrode arrays on flexible substrates are promising for mechanically compliant neural interfaces and for large-scale electrophysiological recording from intact brains. Recently, there has been a great interest in devising flexible microelectrode arrays that can achieve cellular resolution. Here, we introduce a new biocompatible microelectrode array composed of platinum nanorods (PtNRs) on micrometer thin parylene C layers fabricated using scalable microfabrication processes. We show by extensive electrochemical testing that PtNRs exhibit 16 times larger charge injection capacities (CIC) and 10 times lower impedances compared to planar Pt. The devices are compatible with standard in-hospital sterilization techniques with minimal degradation in their performance. We carried out in-vivo characterization in starling birds and measured action potentials from the cortical surface with electrode diameters of 20, 40, and 100μm. Overall, we believe that the new PtNR microelectrodes with facile integration with standard microfabrication can advance neural probe technology by offering outstanding features with regard to next generation chronic neural stimulation and recording from the central and peripheral nervous systems.