Graphene Encapsulated Copper Microwires as Highly MRI Compatible Neural Electrodes.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatible neural electrodes are important for combining high-resolution electrophysiological measurements with more global MRI mapping of brain activity, which is critical for fundamental neuroscience studies, as well as clinical evaluation and monitoring. Copper is a favorable material to use in MRI because it has magnetic susceptibility close to water and tissues. However, the cytotoxicity of copper precludes its direct implantation for neural recording. Here, we overcome this limitation by developing a graphene encapsulated copper (G-Cu) microelectrode. The toxicity of copper is largely eliminated, as evidenced by the in vitro cell tests and in vivo histology studies. Local field potentials and single-unit spikes were recorded from rodent brains with the G-Cu microelectrodes. Notably, the G-Cu microelectrodes show no image artifacts in a 7.0 T MRI scanner, indicating minimal magnetic field distortion in their vicinity. This high MRI compatibility of our G-Cu probes would open up new opportunities for fundamental brain activity studies and clinical applications requiring continuous MRI and electrophysiological recordings.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Siyuan
S
Zhao
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Xiaojun
X
Liu
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Zheng
Z
Xu
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Huaying
H
Ren
Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Bing
B
Deng
Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Miao
M
Tang
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Linlin
L
Lu
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Xuefeng
X
Fu
Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Hailin
H
Peng
Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Zhongfan
Z
Liu
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
Xiaojie
X
Duan
Neural electrodes; anticorrosion; biocompatibility; graphene biosensing; magnetic resonance imaging