Diamond micro-electrode arrays (MEAs): A new route for in-vitro applications

Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are extracellular devices allowing both recording and electrical stimulation of neuronal or cardiac cells. Interfacing cellular networks with MEAs leads to a better knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms of biological tissue and can be used for restorative purposes using neural prosthesis. We report the fabrication of in vitro 8×8 and 4×15 planar boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (BNCD) MEAs using microtechnology. The BNCD for our MEA electrodes have been characterized electrochemically and we show that these devices offer good recording properties as compared to other standard electrode materials (such as Ti-Pt or Au).