# Validating MXene Electrodes for Next-Generation Electroencephalography

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2024 · $519,852

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
Electroencephalography (EEG) is an essential clinical diagnostic and research tool in neurology,
neurorehabilitation, cognitive, and behavioral neuroscience. However, in more than 100 years of EEG
research, the fundamental EEG technology has remained primitive and game-changing technological
innovations have been few and far between. Most current EEG systems rely on gelled silver/silver-
chloride or metal electrodes affixed on the scalp with conductive gels or pastes. These devices suffer
from the large size of the electrodes, cost, risk of corrosion, preparation, and cleaning. In addition,
gels and pastes are necessary to achieve adequate impedance and signal quality, but can be
irritating to the skin and dry out over time. Dry (i.e., gel-free) EEG systems can bypass some of the
issues of these wet EEG devices, but are still critically limited in terms of subject comfort and signal
quality. Finally, MRI-compatible EEG systems for multimodal brain mapping are often highly
specialized and expensive. Here, we propose to validate a fully novel, dry EEG system based on
MXene materials. MXenes offer high biocompatibility, stability, conductivity, flexibility and low
electrochemical impedance. In addition, they can be processed at a low cost, easily integrated into
functional neural devices with a variety of geometries and shapes, record brain electrical activity with
high fidelity without the need for gels or pastes, and interact weakly with magnetic fields. These
properties make MXene ideal to serve as enabling material for the next-generation EEG technologies.
In this proposal, we will build on promising pilot data to scale-up and optimize the fabrication and
design of MXene EEG electrodes. Specifically, we will aim to outperform the electrodes used in our
pilot studies while maintaining fast, cost-effective, and reliable fabrication. Then, we will validate the
performance of the best performing MXene electrodes on well-established behavioral tasks
associated with readily identifiable EEG spectral characteristics. Finally, we will examine the MRI
compatibility of a customized multichannel MXene EEG system for simultaneous EEG/MRI mapping
using quantitative and clinician ratings of signal quality, an essential step to propel its widespread
adoption in brain research and clinical contexts. By completing this project, we expect to move the
field forward by generating a novel dry EEG technology with superior resolution, signal fidelity, and
usability compared to current tools. These advantages could pave the way for fundamental
innovations in a number of domains including clinical neurology, rehabilitation, and cognitive
neuroscience.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10860991
- **Project number:** 5R01NS121219-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** John Medaglia
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $519,852
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-06-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10860991

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10860991, Validating MXene Electrodes for Next-Generation Electroencephalography (5R01NS121219-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10860991. Licensed CC0.

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