Neuromodulation devices such as deep brain stimulators (DBS), spinal cord stimulators (SCS) and cochlear implants (CIs) use electrodes in contact with tissue to deliver electrical pulses to targeted cells. In general, the neuromodulation industry has been evolving towards smaller, less invasive devices Improving power efficiency of these devices can reduce battery storage requirements. Neuromodulation devices can realize significant power savings if the impedance to charge transfer at the electrode-tissue interface can be reduced. High electrochemical impedance at the surface of stimulation microelectrodes results in larger polarization voltages. Decreasing this polarization voltage response can reduce power required to deliver the current pulse. One approach to doing this is to reduce the electrochemical impedance at the electrode surface. Previously we have reported on a novel electrochemically deposited 60:40% platinum-iridium (Pt-Ir) electrode material that lowered the electrode impedance by two orders of magnitude or more. This study compares power consumption of an electrochemically deposited Pt-Ir stimulating microelectrode to that of standard Pt-Ir probe microelectrode produced using conventional techniques. Both electrodes were tested using in-vitro in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution and in-vivo (live rat) models.
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