Capacitor electrode stimulates nerve or muscle without oxidation-reduction reactions.
Porous tantalum disks, available as "slugs" from the capacitor industry, have large available surface area and a thin insulating coating of tantalum pentoxide. When implanted, they fill with extracellular fluid and operate as capacitor-stimulating electrodes having high capacitance per unit volume. Capable of stimulating excitable tissute without generating electrochemical by-products, these electrodes should provide a safer interface between neural prosthetic devices and human tissue.
D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D000882:Haplorhini; D008251:Macaca; D008839:Microelectrodes; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013635:Tantalum
D013635:Tantalum