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Flexible Carbon Nanotube-Based Polymer Electrode for Long-Term Electrocardiographic Recording

The long-term monitoring of electrocardiogram (ECG) is critical for the accurate diagnosis and tracking of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the commercial Ag/AgCl electrode is not suitable for long-term monitoring due to skin allergies and signal degradation, caused by the conductive gel dry...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Chi, Miao, Zhao, Jingjing, Dong, Ying, Wang, Xiaohao
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6470748/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30909577
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma12060971
Descripción
Sumario:The long-term monitoring of electrocardiogram (ECG) is critical for the accurate diagnosis and tracking of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the commercial Ag/AgCl electrode is not suitable for long-term monitoring due to skin allergies and signal degradation, caused by the conductive gel drying over time. In this paper, a flexible gel-free electrode, composed of a multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), is proposed for long-term wearable ECG monitoring. To achieve uniform dispersion of MWCNTs in viscous PDMS, we developed a novel parallel solvent-assisted ultrasonic dispersion method, wherein the organic solvent n–Hexane served as a dispersion to avoid MWCNT aggregates. The properties of the MWCNT/PDMS electrode were assessed through structural characterization, contact impedance tests, ECG measurements, and biocompatibility tests. When the MWCNT weight fraction reached 5.5 wt%, the skin-electrode contact impedance of the MWCNT/PDMS electrode was lower than that of the Ag/AgCl electrode below 100 Hz. In daily ECG monitoring, the MWCNT/PDMS electrodes showed superior performance against motion artifact compared to the Ag/AgCl electrode. After seven days of wearing the MWCNT/PDMS electrode, ECG signals did not degrade and no side effects, such as skin redness and swelling, were observed. Thus, this electrode could enable long-term ECG monitoring in wearable healthcare systems.