title: Novel Conductive Carbon Black and Polydimethlysiloxane ECG Electrode: A Comparison with Commercial Electrodes in Fresh, Chlorinated, and Salt Water.
abstract: In this study, we evaluated the performance of two novel conductive carbon black (CB) and polydimethlysiloxane (PDMS) bio-potential electrodes, with and without an integrated flexible copper mesh, against commercially available electrodes (Polar(®) textile, Silver-coated textile, and carbon rubber). The electrodes were tested in three types of water (fresh/unfiltered, chlorinated, and salt water). Our testing revealed that our CB/PDMS electrode with integrated copper mesh provided a high-fidelity ECG signal morphologies without any amplitude degradation in all of the types of water tested (N = 10). The non-meshed CB/PDMS electrodes were also subjected to a long-term durability test by the US Navy SCUBA divers during which the electrodes maintained ECG signal quality for a 6 h period of continuous use. The results of a material degradation analysis revealed the CB/PDMS composite material does not exhibit significant changes in physical integrity after prolonged exposure to the test conditions. The newly developed meshed CB/PDMS electrodes have the potential to be used in a wide variety of both dry and wet environments including the challenge of obtaining ECG signals in salt water environments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
authors.forename: Yeonsik
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
authors.forename: Justin R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bales
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
authors.forename: Bersain A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 01609, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Molignano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 01609, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Clement
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 01609, USA.
authors.forename: George D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Pins
authors.affiliation: Navy Experimental Diving Unit, Panama City, FL, 32407, USA.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Florian
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA. ki.chon@uconn.edu.
authors.forename: Ki H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004566:Electrodes; D005618:Fresh Water; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008422:Materials Testing; D051379:Mice; D053260:Soot
chemical_list: D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D053260:Soot; C013830:baysilon
keywords: Carbon electrodes; Dry electrodes; Reusable electrodes; Salt water; Textile ECG electrodes; Underwater ECG