Comparison of electrical transients and corrosion responses of pulsed MP35N and 316LVM electrodes.

Functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) is often limited by electrode malfunctions such as corrosion and breakage, particularly for intramuscular and epimysial type electrodes. As a result, the electrochemical charge injection characteristics and corrosion responses of single strand 316LVM stainless steel and MP35N nickel-cobalt alloy electrodes were evaluated in vitro. For charge balance, capacitor coupled monophasic protocols with varying charge injections were employed. Electrodes were evaluated with either positive-first or negative-first pulses, 60 Hz, 100 microsec pulse duration, and stimulation periods from 100 to 240 hours. Charge injection densities ranged from 20 to 80 microC/cm2. For both anodic-first and cathodic-first pulsing, the potential transients for the MP35N electrodes were more extreme than for the 316LVM electrodes over the test period, and increased corrosion was apparent on the MP35N electrodes from both optical and scanning electron microscopy. Therefore, 316LVM, but not MP35N, may be suitable for FNS applications with charge injection densities less than 40 microC/cm2.