Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Department of Science and Technology, Linköping University, 601 74, Norrköping, Sweden.
Adv Mater. 2018 Apr;30(15):e1706520. doi: 10.1002/adma.201706520. Epub 2018 Feb 28.
Electrical interfacing with neural tissue is key to advancing diagnosis and therapies for neurological disorders, as well as providing detailed information about neural signals. A challenge for creating long-term stable interfaces between electronics and neural tissue is the huge mechanical mismatch between the systems. So far, materials and fabrication processes have restricted the development of soft electrode grids able to combine high performance, long-term stability, and high electrode density, aspects all essential for neural interfacing. Here, this challenge is addressed by developing a soft, high-density, stretchable electrode grid based on an inert, high-performance composite material comprising gold-coated titanium dioxide nanowires embedded in a silicone matrix. The developed grid can resolve high spatiotemporal neural signals from the surface of the cortex in freely moving rats with stable neural recording quality and preserved electrode signal coherence during 3 months of implantation. Due to its flexible and stretchable nature, it is possible to minimize the size of the craniotomy required for placement, further reducing the level of invasiveness. The material and device technology presented herein have potential for a wide range of emerging biomedical applications.
与神经组织的电接口是推进神经紊乱诊断和治疗的关键，同时也提供了关于神经信号的详细信息。在电子设备和神经组织之间创建长期稳定接口的一个挑战是系统之间存在巨大的机械不匹配。到目前为止，材料和制造工艺限制了能够结合高性能、长期稳定性和高密度电极的软电极网格的发展，这些都是神经接口所必需的。在这里，通过开发一种基于惰性、高性能复合材料的软、高密度、可拉伸的电极网格来解决这一挑战，该复合材料由嵌入硅酮基质中的镀金二氧化钛纳米线组成。所开发的网格可以从自由移动的大鼠皮层表面解析出高时空神经信号，具有稳定的神经记录质量，并在 3 个月的植入过程中保持电极信号的相干性。由于其柔软和可拉伸的特性，有可能最小化放置所需的开颅手术的大小，进一步降低侵入性水平。本文提出的材料和器件技术具有广泛的新兴生物医学应用的潜力。
