High-performance iridium oxide/platinum nano-leaf composite coatings on microelectrodes for neural stimulation/recording

A novel platinum (Pt) nano-leaf interfacial layer between the Pt substrate and iridium oxide (IrO
_x
) coating, significantly reduced impedance and increased cathodic charge storage capacity (CSC
_c
) for neural microelectrodes. Combining the advantages of both materials, herein a lower impedance and higher CSC
_c
of IrO
_x
/Pt nano-leaf composite coatings than each simple coating was fabricated with nanoscale roughness. Furthermore, it demonstrated excellent mechanical and electrochemical stability, which was beneficial for effective neural stimulation/recording in various applications.