Implantable Electrode
AssigneeBiotectix, LLC
InventorChristopher John Pickett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An implantable electrode, for an implantable tissue stimulator, has an electrically conductive porous material comprising metal carbide, metal nitride, metal carbonitride, metal oxide or metal oxynitride and one or more coating layers on a surface thereof. The coating layer or at least one of the coating layers, is for contact with body tissue when the electrode is implanted. Each coating layer is an electrically conductive layer of polymer having a polypyrrole polymeric backbone or polythiophene polymeric backbone. The coating layer or layers are formed in situ by electropolymerisation. The polypyrrole or polythiophene may be substituted. The coating layer or layers can provide high charge storage capacitance and a fast discharging profile, as well as biocompatibility.
Claims19
An implantable electrode having an electrically conductive porous material comprising a compound selected from the group consisting of metal carbide, metal nitride, metal carbonitride, metal oxide and metal oxynitride and one or more coating layers on a surface of said material, said coating layer or at least one of said coating layers being for contact with body tissue when the electrode is implanted, and each said coating layer being an electrically conductive layer of polymer having a polypyrrole polymeric backbone or polythiophene polymeric backbone.
A method of making an implantable electrode having an electrically conductive porous material comprising a compound selected from the group consisting of metal carbide, metal nitride, metal carbonitride, metal oxide and metal oxynitride and one or more coating layers on a surface of said material, said coating layer or at least one of said coating layers being for contact with body tissue when the electrode is implanted, and each said coating layer being an electrically conductive layer of polymer having a polypyrrole polymeric backbone or polythiophene polymeric backbone,
- the method including the step of electropolymerizing pyrrole, a substituted pyrrole, thiophene or a substituted thiophene in situ on the metal carbide, metal nitride, metal carbonitride, metal oxide or metal oxynitride material to form the coating layer as an electropolymerized polymer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.