Iridium and Platinum-Iridium alloy are considered by many to be the "gold standard" for chronic recording and microstimulation due to its excellent electrochemical and mechanical characteristics.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Pure Iridium can be electrochemically “activated” to create a layer of iridium oxide on the metal surface, imbuing it with exceptional electrochemical performance. These activated iridium oxide film (AIROF) electrodes offer some of the best stimulation performance known due to the fast faradaic charge transfer mechanisms available within the film.
Pure Iridium is appropriate for very aggressive stimulation protocols or very small electrode sizes.
Exceptional hardness and rigidity.
High cost due to the specialty nature of the material.
Only available in 100 micron diameter size.
These monopolar microelectrodes of MicroProbes are also available in Tungsten, Elgiloy (an alloy similar to stainless steel), and Platinum-Iridium alloy. The electrodes are insulated with a thin film of vapor-deposited Parylene-C. As an option we provide them surrounded by Polymide tubing. Each electrode is etched to a fine taper and tipped using a proprietary process to a specific impedance value. Four different tip profiles are also available to further fine-tune your electrode selection to your particular application.
We offer a variety of different tip alternatives for those that prefer a specialized electrode profile for their research.
The tip selection can provide subtle yet important changes to the performance of the electrode, as described below. It is recommended that first time users consider experimenting with different tip profiles to determine which works best for their recording or stimulation protocols.
