While intracortical microelectrode arrays (MEAs) may be useful in a variety of basic and clinical scenarios, their implementation is hindered by a variety of factors, many of which are related to the stiff material composition of the device. MEAs are often fabricated from high modulus materials such as silicon, leaving devices vulnerable to brittle fracture and thus complicating device fabrication and handling. For this reason, polymer-based devices are being heavily investigated; however, their implementation is often difficult due to mechanical instability that requires insertion aids during implantation. In this study, we design and fabricate intracortical MEAs from a shape memory polymer (SMP) substrate that remains stiff at room temperature but softens to 20 MPa after implantation, therefore allowing the device to be implanted without aids. We demonstrate chronic recordings and electrochemical measurements for 16 weeks in rat cortex and show that the devices are robust to physical deformation, therefore making them advantageous for surgical implementation.

中文翻译：

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机械坚固，软化的形状记忆聚合物探针，用于皮层内记录。

尽管皮层内微电极阵列（MEA）在各种基本和临床情况中可能有用，但其实现受到多种因素的阻碍，其中许多因素与设备的刚性材料组成有关。MEA通常由诸如硅的高模量材料制成，从而使器件容易发生脆性断裂，从而使器件的制造和处理变得复杂。因此，正在对基于聚合物的器件进行大量研究。但是，由于机械不稳定，在植入过程中需要插入辅助装置，因此通常难以实施。在这项研究中，我们从形状记忆聚合物（SMP）基底设计和制造皮质内MEA，该基底在室温下保持坚硬，但在植入后软化至20 MPa，因此可以在没有助剂的情况下植入该装置。