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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

A Method for Systematic Electrochemical and Electrophysiological Evaluation of Neural Recording Electrodes
Published on: March 3, 2014
Long-term characterization of electrode materials for surface electrodes in biopotential recording
Klaus-Peter Hoffmann1, Roman Ruff, Wigand Poppendieck
1Department of Medical Technology and Neural Prosthetics, Fraunhofer IBMT, St. Ingbert, Germany. klaus.hoffmann@ibmt.fraunhofer.de
Abstract:
The long-term electrical behavior of 16 different electrode materials was investigated by using continuous impedance spectroscopy over a period of 10 days. The materials included bare and electrolytically treated metals, metals coated with intrinsically conductive polymers, and polymers with conductive particles. Electrolytic treatment of metal electrodes yielded a significant impedance reduction. The lowest impedance values could be reached with the polymer-coated metal electrodes. The impedance behavior is an important aspect when choosing an electrode material, and has to be considered in signal processing. The choice of a material depends on the application of the electrode. Moreover, for long-term applications, the electrochemical stability of a material has to be considered.
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