POLYMER DRY ELECTRODES FOR ACCURATE EPIDERMAL BIOPOTENTIAL DETECTION

Abstract

Flexible dry electrodes have been developed as an alternative to commercial gel electrodes for biopotential signal detection. Existing dry electrodes face challenges such as poor contact with sweaty skin and difficulty in materials processing. To overcome these issues, a highly sweat-tolerant dry electrode composed of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and tannic acid (TA) is proposed. This electrode exhibits high conductivity, stretchability, and self-adhesiveness to dry or wet skin. It outperforms commercial gel electrodes in contact impedance on dry or sweaty skin, enabling accurate detection of electrocardiogram (ECG) and electromyogram (EMG) signals during rest or physical movement. Additionally, a double-layered dry electrode is developed, consisting of a non-adhesive blend of PEDOT:PSS and waterborne polyurethane (WPU) as the top layer and an adhesive waterborne polyurethane (AWPU) layer as the bottom layer. The penetration of top layer provides bottom layer both conductivity and self-adhesiveness, addressing challenges related to material mixing and preparation.