Conductive Oxide Electrodes for Neural Interfaces and Ion Sensing

This community develops thin-film electrodes and ion-selective sensors for recording and stimulating neural activity, as well as for detecting specific ions in biological fluids and sweat.

The work centers on the fabrication and characterization of conductive materials, specifically iridium oxide, ruthenium oxide, and PEDOT:PSS, for use in microelectrode arrays and flexible substrates. A significant portion of the research focuses on the electrochemical properties of these films, including impedance and charge injection capacity, to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in neural recording and the safety of electrical stimulation. Concurrently, the community develops potentiometric sensors and ion-selective electrodes, often with solid contacts, for the detection of potassium, sodium, and other ions. Applications range from implantable deep brain stimulation and cortical recording to wearable devices that monitor sweat biomarkers and point-of-care diagnostics.

The largest share of the community's output is found in iridium research, representing 1.5% of all iridium research, and 310 papers here. Osmium research also accounts for 1.5% of its total literature, with 53 papers in this group.

The community comprises 1,393 papers, publishing most frequently in Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, and Journal of Neural Engineering.

Recent work continues to focus on high-density cortical microelectrode arrays for multimodal decoding, the development of 3D-printed solid-contact potentiometric sensors for sodium determination, and the integration of PEDOT:PSS into eutectogels for enhanced electrical recording and stimulation in implantable neural interfaces.

Papers behind this description

Nanoporous graphene-based thin-film microelectrodes for in vivo high-resolution neural recording and stimulation — Nature Nanotechnology, 2024 — doi:10.1038/s41565-023-01570-5
A skin-interfaced three-dimensional closed-loop sensing and therapeutic electronic wound bandage — Nature Communications, 2025 — doi:10.1038/s41467-025-61261-8
Next-Generation Potentiometric Sensors: A Review of Flexible and Wearable Technologies — Biosensors, 2025 — doi:10.3390/bios15010051
Implantable intracortical microelectrodes: reviewing the present with a focus on the future — Microsystems & Nanoengineering, 2023 — doi:10.1038/s41378-022-00451-6
Implantable Soft Neural Electrodes of Liquid Metals for Deep Brain Stimulation — ACS Nano, 2025 — doi:10.1021/acsnano.4c18030
Fully integrated silicon probes for high-density recording of neural activity — Nature, 2017 — doi:10.1038/nature24636
Flexible, scalable, high channel count stereo-electrode for recording in the human brain — Nature Communications, 2024 — doi:10.1038/s41467-023-43727-9
Hydrogel-based colorimetric power-saving sensors for on-site detection of chloride ions and glucose in sweat — Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.bios.2024.117041
Recording Quality Is Systematically Related to Electrode Impedance — Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2024 — doi:10.1002/adhm.202303401
Fast Electrodeposition of MXene/PDA Composites for High‐Performance Bioelectronic Interfaces: An In Vitro Evaluation — Advanced Functional Materials, 2024 — doi:10.1002/adfm.202312770
Ion-Selective Electrodes with Solid Contact Based on Composite Materials: A Review — Sensors, 2023 — doi:10.3390/s23135839
Low-threshold, high-resolution, chronically stable intracortical microstimulation by ultraflexible electrodes — Cell Reports, 2023 — doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112554
A Guide to Recognizing Your Electrochemical Impedance Spectra: Revisions of the Randles Circuit in (Bio)sensing — Sensors, 2025 — doi:10.3390/s25196260
Minimally invasive implantation of scalable high-density cortical microelectrode arrays for multimodal neural decoding and stimulation — Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2025 — doi:10.1038/s41551-025-01501-w
PEDOT:PSS conducting eutectogel for enhanced electrical recording and stimulation in implantable neural interfaces — Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 2025 — doi:10.1039/d5tc03054d
Innovations in wearable biosensors: A pathway to 24/7 personalized healthcare — Measurement, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.measurement.2025.117938
Fully 3D-printed solid-contact potentiometric sensor for sodium determination — Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.bios.2025.117866
Electrochemical Detection of Organophosphates Using Dual-Modal Enzyme-Based Biosensors — Analytical Chemistry, 2026 — doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.5c04795