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Updated: Jul 1, 2026
08:32
Electrochemical Roughening of Thin-Film Platinum Macro and Microelectrodes
Published on: June 30, 2019
Platinum electrode noise in the ENG spectrum
Xiao Liu1, Andreas Demosthenous, Nick Donaldson
1Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London, UK. x.liu@ee.ucl.ac.uk
Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing
|September 9, 2008
Summary
Platinum (Pt) electrodes exhibit noise consistent with thermal noise, simplifying neural recording. This contrasts with Ag/AgCl electrodes, making Pt suitable for accurate neural signal assessment.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
- Electrophysiology
Background:
- Noise characterization is crucial for accurate neural recordings.
- Platinum (Pt) electrodes are increasingly used in neural interfaces.
- Previous studies have not fully characterized noise from Pt electrodes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure and analyze the noise generated by Pt electrodes.
- To compare Pt electrode noise with thermal noise expectations.
- To evaluate the suitability of Pt electrodes for neural recording.
Main Methods:
- Impedance and noise measurements were performed on pairs of Pt electrodes.
- Experiments were conducted in cylindrical cells.
- Measurements covered frequency bands relevant to electroneurogram (ENG) signals (500 Hz - 10 kHz).
Main Results:
- Noise from the Pt-saline interface matched thermal noise.
- Volume conductor noise also corresponded to thermal noise.
- Total source noise can be estimated from impedance measurements.
Conclusions:
- Pt electrodes are advantageous for neural recording due to predictable noise characteristics.
- The noise from Pt electrodes and surrounding tissue can be accurately estimated.
- This simplifies noise analysis compared to Ag/AgCl electrodes, where interface noise exceeds thermal noise.
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