Characterization of the PEDOT:PSS-electrode interface

Many technologies have been developed to record electrophysiological signals from the brain. Some of the most well known include silicon probes, microwires, and flexible surface arrays, with each having applications they are suited for and their own shortcomings. One type of electrode that has unmet potential as a transparent, flexible array using poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene): polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) coatings. While many groups have worked to develop them and improve characteristics, no group has been able to fully characterize the capacitance and electrochemical gating properties of PEDOT:PSS, leading to an incomplete understanding of electrodes that make use of PEDOT:PSS. Using an electrochemical gating model and capacitance-voltage sweeps, we can begin to build a better understanding of this complex polymer, and eventually use that to build up devices that function to record neural data with less noise, improving our understanding of neural mechanisms and possibly allowing for better diagnosis and treatment of neural disorders.