ENGS 88 Honors Thesis (AB Students)
Degree Program
B.E.
Year of Graduation
2025
Faculty Advisor
Alexander Boys
Document Type
Thesis (Senior Honors)
Publication Date
3-18-2025
Abstract
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has become a promising treatment for epilepsy, depression, obesity, and more. However, the state-of-the-art nerve cuffs use metal conductors, limiting the implanted VNS devices’ biocompatibility, electronic properties, and ultimately the device lifetime. Because the benefits of VNS treatment increase over time, and metal limits the lifetime of devices, a transition to non-metallic conductors with a better match to tissue material properties and safer electronic properties promises to increase the lifetime of VNS devices. To demonstrate the replacement of metal with a conductor with properties closer to that of body tissue, a novel fabrication scheme was designed using a consumer pattern cutter to create a fully polymeric neural stimulator. Kapton was used as insulation around the conductive element, PEDOT:PSS. Electrodes with 1 mm pad diameters were successfully fabricated and characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, transient voltammetry, and tensile testing. Devices with 1 mm pad diameters were found to have an average impedance at 1k Hz of a 7.83 ± 263 kW and charge injection capacity of 356.52 ± 216.08 μC/cm2. The results found in this thesis demonstrate the potential for fully polymeric nerve stimulators.
Dartmouth Digital Commons Citation
Dodge, James III, "Novel Method for Pure Polymer Vagus Nerve Stimulators" (2025). ENGS 88 Honors Thesis (AB Students). 37.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/engs88/37
