Graphene-passivated implantable electrodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11224372-B2
Application number	US-201515110216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2015
Priority date	Jan 7, 2014
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

An implantable electrode for use in the body of a subject has a metal layer and a graphene passivation layer formed on at least a portion of the metal layer. The graphene passivation layer may be a single monolayer of graphene. A process for passivating an implantable electrode is also disclosed.

First claim

We claim:

1. An electrode for use in the body of a subject, comprising:
a metal core,
the metal core defining a proximal surface, a distal surface, and a wall extending so as to connect the proximal surface to the distal surface;
a continuous graphene passivation layer surmounting the distal surface of the metal core and extending to surmount at least a portion of the wall of the metal core; and
an electrically insulating material,
the electrically insulating material being disposed on a portion of the continuous graphene passivation layer such that another portion of the continuous graphene passivation layer is exposed.

2. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the metal core comprises a metal chosen from platinum, gold, iridium, tungsten, stainless steel, silver, copper, nickel, and alloys or combinations thereof.

3. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the electrically insulating material is disposed on the portion of the continuous graphene passivation layer such that the other portion of the continuous graphene passivation layer that surmounts the wall of the metal core is exposed.

4. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the continuous graphene passivation layer is doped such that the continuous graphene passivation layer is p-type graphene.

5. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the continuous graphene passivation layer surmounts essentially the entirety of the distal surface of the metal core and the wall of the metal core.

6. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the electrically insulating material encloses at least a portion of the continuous graphene passivation layer.

7. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the electrically insulating material is arranged such that the other portion of the continuous graphene passivation layer that surmounts the distal surface of the metal core is exposed.

8. The electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the continuous graphene passivation layer comprises a single graphene monolayer.

Assignees

• Univ Pennsylvania

Inventors

• Kuzum Duygu
• Cubukcu Ertugrul
• Litt Brian

Classifications

• A61B5/293 Primary

  Invasive · CPC title

• A61B5/24 Primary

  Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof · CPC title

• A61N1/0551

  Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes · CPC title

• A61B2562/125

  characterised by the manufacture of electrodes · CPC title

• A61B5/291 Primary

  for electroencephalography [EEG] · CPC title