Electrical percolation in extrinsically conducting, poly(ε-decalactone) composite neural interface materials

Abstract By providing a bidirectional communication channel between neural tissues and a biomedical device, it is envisaged that neural interfaces will be fundamental in the future diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. Due to the mechanical mismatch between neural tissue and metallic ne...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Katarzyna Krukiewicz, James Britton, Daria Więcławska, Małgorzata Skorupa, Jorge Fernandez, Jose-Ramon Sarasua, Manus J. P. Biggs
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:
R
Q
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/1dbc09d730854761bbc24a3cc9696955
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
Descripción
Sumario:Abstract By providing a bidirectional communication channel between neural tissues and a biomedical device, it is envisaged that neural interfaces will be fundamental in the future diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. Due to the mechanical mismatch between neural tissue and metallic neural electrodes, soft electrically conducting materials are of great benefit in promoting chronic device functionality. In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNT), silver nanowires (AgNW) and poly(hydroxymethyl 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) microspheres (MSP) were employed as conducting fillers within a poly(ε-decalactone) (EDL) matrix, to form a soft and electrically conducting composite. The effect of a filler type on the electrical percolation threshold, and composite biocompatibility was investigated in vitro. EDL-based composites exhibited favourable electrochemical characteristics: EDL/CNT—the lowest film resistance (1.2 ± 0.3 kΩ), EDL/AgNW—the highest charge storage capacity (10.7 ± 0.3 mC cm− 2), and EDL/MSP—the highest interphase capacitance (1478.4 ± 92.4 µF cm−2). All investigated composite surfaces were found to be biocompatible, and to reduce the presence of reactive astrocytes relative to control electrodes. The results of this work clearly demonstrated the ability of high aspect ratio structures to form an extended percolation network within a polyester matrix, resulting in the formulation of composites with advantageous mechanical, electrochemical and biocompatibility properties.