Production of Conducting Polymer Nanowires for Use as Intravascular Neural Recording Electrodes

摘要

A crucial factor limiting the adoption of brain-machine interfaces is the invasiveness of conventionally implanted cortical microelectrode arrays. Recently, Llinas et al. proposed a new, less invasive type of multielectrode neural recording, using sub-micrometer insulated nanowires placed in the capillary bed of the central nervous system. Initial experiments using platinum wires were plagued by wire stiffness and metal fatigue. We report the production of conductive, insulated polymer nanowires with a doped polyaniline core and a poly(ethylene oxide) shell by coaxial electrospinning. These fibers have continuous insulated conducting polymer lengths over 10 mm, and a core polymer conductivity of 3 S/m.