Production of conductive composite electrodes for extracellular recording and stimulation

Production of conductive composite electrodes for extracellular recording and stimulation

Multielectrode arrays, or MEAs, are increasingly indispensable technologies in bioscience, especially within fundamental neuroscience and cardiac electrophysiology [1]. They generally consist of arrangements of electrodes that allow for the targeting of several sites in parallel within a tissue or cell culture for extracellular recording and stimulation. While commercially available MEAs have many positive features, in particular their biocompatibility, chemical stability and reasonable electrode density, they are often difficult to produce at scale, making them expensive to procure. This high cost and the limited availability of different electrode configurations makes it difficult for many research labs to conduct extensive trials in parallel, slowing down the rate of progress in the biosciences.      

Here, an alternative method of fabricating MEAs will be described. This method utilizes the flexibility of additive manufacturing technologies, specifically Photopolymer Inkjet Printing or PolyJet printing, to create complex electrode array channels that are filled with a conductive composite comprised of silver paste dispersed in α-terpineol to form the electrodes. By way of experimental validation, the MEAs produced using this method were subsequently used to stimulate nervous tissue ex vivo.

1. Spira, Micha E., and Aviad Hai. "Multi-electrode array technologies for neuroscience and cardiology." Nature nanotechnology 8.2 (2013): 83.
2. Pilipović, Ana, Pero Raos, and Mladen Šercer. "Experimental analysis of properties of materials for rapid prototyping." The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 40.1-2 (2009): 105-115.