A Novel Process for the Manufacture of Ceramic Microelectrodes for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

A novel process, based on microextrusion of preceramic polymers, was developed for manufacturing ceramic microelectrodes, mainly for biomedical applications. A coextrusion approach was used to obtain filaments with inner conductive lines after proper doping. Chemical reticulation and high‐temperature pyrolysis were applied to convert the meltable preceramic, polymeric resins into SiOC ceramic materials. Different cross‐sectional geometries were produced. The flexural strength of filaments depended on the outer diameter size; doping produced filaments with an average conductivity of ∼0.4 1/Ω cm for a 50 wt% carbon black load. The results on L929 and MG63 cell line models indicated good biological performance of Si–O–C ceramics and confirmed citocompatibility.