Evans Bernardin

The promise of intracortical neural interfaces—to restore lost sensory and motor function and probe the brain’s activity—has long been constrained by device instability over chronic implantation. Conventional silicon-based probes, composed of heterogeneous materials, often fail due to mechanical mismatch, inflammatory responses, and interface-driven degradation, where stress can induce cracking, swelling, and exposure of cytotoxic elements to neural tissue. Silicon carbide (SiC) offers a compelling solution, combining chemical inertness, structural strength, and biocompatibility in both amorphous and crystalline forms. In this review, we discuss advances in SiC neural interfaces, highlighting contributions from multiple laboratories and emphasizing our own work on monolithic devices, constructed entirely from a single, homogeneous SiC material system. These devices mitigate interface-driven failures and show preliminary indications of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatibility, with minimal image artifacts observed compared to conventional silicon probes, though further in vivo studies are needed to confirm thermal safety at high-field conditions. Collectively, SiC establishes a versatile platform for next-generation, durable neural interfaces capable of reliable, long-term brain interaction for both scientific and clinical applications.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with only late-stage detection; thus, diagnosis is made when it is no longer possible to treat the disease, only its symptoms. Consequently, this often leads to caregivers who are the patient’s relatives, which adversely impacts the workforce along with severely diminishing the quality of life for all involved. It is, therefore, highly desirable to develop a fast, effective and reliable sensor to enable early-stage detection in an attempt to reverse disease progression. This research validates the detection of amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ₄₂) using a Silicon Carbide (SiC) electrode, a fact that is unprecedented in the literature. Aβ₄₂ is considered a reliable biomarker for AD detection, as reported in previous studies. To validate the detection with a SiC-based electrochemical sensor, a gold (Au) electrode-based electrochemical sensor was used as a control. The same cleaning, functionalization and Aβ_1–28 antibody immobilization steps were used on both electrodes. Sensor validation was carried out by means of Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) aiming to detect an 0.5 µg·mL⁻¹ Aβ₄₂ concentration in 0.1 M buffer solution as a proof of concept. A repeatable peak directly related to the presence of Aβ₄₂ was observed, indicating that a fast SiC-based electrochemical sensor was constructed and may prove to be a useful approach for the early detection of AD.