Fabrication of a Micro-Needle Array Electrode by Thermal Drawing for Bio-Signals Monitoring.
A novel micro-needle array electrode (MAE) fabricated by thermal drawing and coated with Ti/Au film was proposed for bio-signals monitoring. A simple and effective setup was employed to form glassy-state poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) into a micro-needle array (MA) by the thermal drawing method. The MA was composed of 6 × 6 micro-needles with an average height of about 500 μm. Electrode-skin interface impedance (EII) was recorded as the insertion force was applied on the MAE. The insertion process of the MAE was also simulated by the finite element method. Results showed that MAE could insert into skin with a relatively low compression force and maintain stable contact impedance between the MAE and skin. Bio-signals, including electromyography (EMG), electrocardiography (ECG), and electroencephalograph (EEG) were also collected. Test results showed that the MAE could record EMG, ECG, and EEG signals with good fidelity in shape and amplitude in comparison with the commercial Ag/AgCl electrodes, which proves that MAE is an alternative electrode for bio-signals monitoring.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China. rlei@mail2.sysu.edu.cn.
Lei
L
Ren
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China. jqing@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Qing
Q
Jiang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China. yunzibetterlife@163.com.
Keyun
K
Chen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China. tiaopiji@icloud.com.
Zhipeng
Z
Chen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China. panchf@mail2.sysu.edu.cn.
Chengfeng
C
Pan
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China. jianglel@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Lelun
L
Jiang
D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004566:Electrodes; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer
D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid
ECG; EEG; EMG; electrode; finite element method; impedance; micro-needle array