Surface modification of neural stimulating/recording electrodes with high-performance platinum nano-leaf coatings

This paper reports a novel surface modification method using platinum (Pt) nano-leaf coatings which can significantly improve electrochemical performances of microelectrodes arrays (MEAs) for neural stimulating or recording. Three dimensional nano-leaves have been deposited on Pt electrodes using a constant potential electrodeposition. After deposition, the typical electrochemical impedance of an Pt electrode (150 μm in diameter) declined significantly from 45.7 kΩ to 1.44 kΩ at 1 kHz, while the cathodic charge storage capacity (CSCc) vital for effective stimulation increased by more than 35 times. This modification also showed excellent long term stability.