ELECTROCHEMICAL SUPERCAPACITORS FOR MICROSTIMULATORS

MANY NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS ARE CAUSED BY THE ABSENCE OR FAILURE OF NEURAL IMPULSES, WHICH RESULT IN THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF CERTAIN BODY FUNCTIONS. IN MANY CASES, ELECTRICAL STIMULATION CAN BE USED TO RESTORE THE IMPAIRED FUNCTIONS. CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THIS AREA IN RECENT YEARS AND EFFORTS TO MICROMINIATURIZE THE STIMULATOR AND ELECTRODES ARE UNDERWAY. ONE OF THE COMPONENTS THAT LIMITS THE SIZE AND PERFORMANCE OF THE INJECTABLE MICROSTIMULATORS UNDER DEVELOPMENT IS A HYGRID CHARGE STORAGE CAPACITOR. THE OVERALL GOAL IS TO ADAPT THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SUPERCAPACITOR TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOP A CHARGE STORAGE CAPACITOR WITH IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AND/OR REDUCED SIZE. ELECTROCHEMICAL SUPERCAPACITORS STORE ENERGY BY UTILIZING DOUBLE LAYER AND SURFACE REDOX PROCESSES. THIS SUPERCAPACITOR TECHNOLOGY IS BASED ON HIGH-AREA RUOX AS ACTIVE MATERIAL AND A POLYMERIC PERFLUOROSULFONATE IONOMER AS THE ELECTROLYTE AND MEMBRANE SEPARATOR. IN PHASE I OF THE PROGRAM, METHODS WILL BE DEVELOPED TO CONSTRUCT SINGLE UNITS AND TEN-CELL STACKS OF THE MINIATURIZED CAPACITOR. THE ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS CAPACITOR WILL BE TESTED AND COMPARED WITH NINCDS SPECIFICATIONS TO ESTABLISH FEASIBILITY OF THIS APPROACH.