Development and evaluation of Carbon-nanotube-bundle electrodes for neural interface

通过组装碳纳米管束(CNT)制备了针尖直径为纳/微米的柔性针状电极，并用生物神经元和脑组织进行了生理实验，评价了其作为神经电极的性能。实验结果表明，我们研制的碳纳米管束电极可以作为神经元穿透细胞内和脑穿透细胞外的刺激/记录电极。这些电极在世界上是史无前例的，可能为神经接口提供新的可能性。

Flexible, needle-shaped electrodes with the tip diameters of nano/micro-meter sizes were fabricated by assembling the bundles of carbon nanotubes (CNT), and their capabilities as neural electrodes were evaluated in physiological experiments with preparations of biological neurons and brain tissues. The experimental results demonstrated that the CNT-bundle electrodes we developed are useful as neuron-penetrating intracellular and brain-penetrating extracellular, stimulating/recording electrodes. These electrodes are unprecedented in the world, and may offer a new possibility for neural interface.