Engineering Commons^™

Towards In Situ Measurements Of Platinum Dissolution Using Metallothionein-Based Biosensor, Stephanie Cernera, Hyowon Lee

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Platinum-based (Pt) electrodes are used ubiquitously in neurostimulation for their high charge capacity and safety. However, Pt electrodes are known to dissolve during stimulation in the presence of chloride (Cl) to form Pt-Cl byproducts. These byproducts may have deleterious effects on surrounding tissue by preventing cell division and causing apoptosis. Several studies have quantified the amount of neurostimulation-induced Pt dissolution in vivo using various analytical methods; however, these approaches require disruptive sampling of tissue. Periodic measurements from a stimulating electrode using an in situ sensor may provide additional insights into Pt dissolution process. To create the sensor for detecting Pt …