Delamination-Resistant Imperceptible Bioelectrode for Robust Electrophysiological Signals Monitoring

Abstract

On-skin dry electronics are critical for stably transmitting vital and various electrophysiological signals for diagnostics and the human/machine interface, but they are limited by intrinsically poor compliance. High signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and long-term monitoring fidelity require dry electrode to be highly adhesive in compensation to maintain the conformable contact. However, enlarged adhesive force between electrode and skin will lead to irritant contact with elevated risk of signal distortion and contamination caused delamination. Herein, we develop a delamination-resistant imperceptible bioelectrode (DrIE) on the merits of relieving deformation-induced stress during body movements and allowing gas permeation for long-term wearing. Furthermore, benefiting from the augmented mechanical compliance and ultralow thickness, the SNR of our electrode in recording electromyogram (EMG) signals retains 35.23 dB and even the adhesive force is down to 0.013 N/cm, considerably improving the fidelity, recyclability, and wearing comfortability. Our strategy of utilizing dynamic polymer chain rearrangements promoted stress relaxation for compliant DrIE proposes a universal route to the robust biointerface for next-generation clinical applications.

In-Memory Tactile Sensor with Tunable Steep-Slope Region for Low-Artifact and Real-Time Perception of Mechanical Signals

“…Benefited by the low hysteresis of ion movement, the pristine transistor is able to convert EMG signals to PSC changes without delay, and the output current will return to the initial state in a very short time (within 3 ms) after the EMG signal bursting (Figure b and Figure S23). We further demonstrate that our synaptic circuit can detect the EMG signal in high fidelity by establishing a positive correlation between the Hudgins’ feature (waveform length, WL) of the output signal and the amplitude of the EMG signal (Figure c) …”

An Elastic and Damage-Tolerant Dry Epidermal Patch with Robust Skin Adhesion for Bioelectronic Interfacing

“…Self-healing polymers based on dynamic physical interactions are promising choices for damage-resilient soft electronics and have been employed in biomechanical − and biopotential , sensing. Nevertheless, such viscoelastic self-healing polymers often show obvious plastic deformation due to the reconstruction of physical cross-links at large strains, − which can lead to inaccurate biomechanical sensing during cyclic testing. To obtain a reliable sensing interface, a pregelled Ag/AgCl electrolytic electrode is widely employed in clinical settings for biopotential recording, as it provides high-quality signals due to its conductive and adhesive nature.…”

Highly Conformal Polymers for Ambulatory Electrophysiological Sensing

“…[44,45] Therefore, commercial Ag/AgCl electrodes seriously restrict the long-term applications of ambulatory electrophysiological sensing for the accuracy of disease diagnosis, precision of human-machine controlling, and so on. [5,44,46,47] From the perspective of materials, high stretchability and strong interfacial adhesion of on-skin electrodes depend on the mechanical property of conformal polymers including intrinsic stretchability and interfacial adhesion in various environment. [48,49] The combination of highly conformal polymers and all kinds of stretchable conductive materials can realize the high dynamic stability of long-term ambulatory electrophysiological sensing.…”

“…[ 44,45 ] Therefore, commercial Ag/AgCl electrodes seriously restrict the long‐term applications of ambulatory electrophysiological sensing for the accuracy of disease diagnosis, precision of human‐machine controlling, and so on. [ 5,44,46,47 ]…”