Superior electrochemical performance of carbon nanotubes directly grown on sharp microelectrodes

We report for the first time how coatings made by directly growing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the tip of neural microelectrodes outperform others made by electrodeposited CNT composites. Not only do they reduce microelectrode impedance but they also are able to inject high currents without degradation and are stable in time. These results suggest that they are excellent candidates for chronic applications especially when both neural recording and stimulation have to be performed by the same microelectrode. © 2011 American Chemical Society.