Platinum stimulating electrodes in physiological media

The study reported here seeks to characterize behaviour of platinum electro des of the 45-electrode spiral nerve cuff for selective electrical stimulat ion of different superficial regions of peripheral nerves in physiological solution (0.9% NaCl) and Eliott's buffered solution. Each electrode of the spiral cuff had a flat geometric surface of 2 mm(2). To delineate an operat ional potential window between hydrogen and oxygen evolution during stimula tion the electrochemical technique of cyclic voltammetry was used. In a typ ical cyclic voltammetry experiment, the potential of the tested electrode w as cycled at an appropriate rate between two potential limits. The surfaces of the electrodes, obtained after injection of the biphasic charge as defi ned in a physiological solution (0.9% NaCl), thus simulating long-term elec trical stimulation, were investigated using a high resolution Auger electro n spectroscopy (AES) method.