Liquid polymer neural interface
Published by Rob Flickenger June 21st, 2007 in Cybernetics
Part of the challenge of designing a man-machine interface at the cellular level is coming up with an electrode that doesn’t damage living tissue. Neuroscientists at the University of Michigan have had some success by pouring liquid conductive polymer directly onto slices of mouse brain tissue, and getting it to set in place by applying a small electrical current.
“The polymer, PEDOT, assembles from a solution of monomers that assemble into polymer chains in response to electric current.
After testing that the monomer solution was not toxic to cells, the team allowed it to soak into cultures of mouse neurons, and living slices of brain tissue containing wires around which scar tissue had already formed.
Running a small current through the wires caused the monomers to form rubbery conductive polymer in a close-fitting web around the cells.”
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