Fig. 4

Peripheral nerve interfaces (PNI) that use organic electrodes offer at least two prominent advantages compared to interfaces composed of traditional inorganic materials. Silicon-based substrates are depicted here as an example. First, organic electrodes obviate the formation of oxide layers, which facilitates charge transport thereby potentially reducing the size of the electrode and improving spatial resolution. Second, organic electrodes, such as those composed of conducting poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS), can support both electronic and ionic transport. Organic electrodes therefore have the potential to transduce ionic signals emanating from neurons into electronic signals, which can be recorded by microelectronic devices (or vice versa). This figure is adapted from the following source and used with permission: Rivnay et al. (copyright 2014, American Chemical Society) (Rivnay et al., 2014)