New Flexible Silicone-Based EEG Dry Sensor Material Compositions Exhibiting Improvements in Lifespan, Conductivity, and Reliability.
This study investigates alternative material compositions for flexible silicone-based dry electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes to improve the performance lifespan while maintaining high-fidelity transmission of EEG signals. Electrode materials were fabricated with varying concentrations of silver-coated silica and silver flakes to evaluate their electrical, mechanical, and EEG transmission performance. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis of the initial electrode development identified some weak points in the sensors' construction, including particle pull-out and ablation of the silver coating on the silica filler. The newly-developed sensor materials achieved significant improvement in EEG measurements while maintaining the advantages of previous silicone-based electrodes, including flexibility and non-toxicity. The experimental results indicated that the proposed electrodes maintained suitable performance even after exposure to temperature fluctuations, 85% relative humidity, and enhanced corrosion conditions demonstrating improvements in the environmental stability. Fabricated flat (forehead) and acicular (hairy sites) electrodes composed of the optimum identified formulation exhibited low impedance and reliable EEG measurement; some initial human experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using these silicone-based electrodes for typical lab data collection applications.
Department of Interactive Entertainment Design, China University of Technology, Taipei 11695, Taiwan. ysyou0409@cute.edu.tw.
Yi-Hsin
YH
Yu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan. shchen@mail.ntust.edu.tw.
Shih-Hsun
SH
Chen
Brain Research Center, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan. chelun@nctu.edu.tw.
Che-Lun
CL
Chang
Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology, Sydney 2007, Australia. Chin-Teng.Lin@uts.edu.au.
Chin-Teng
CT
Lin
Translational Neuroscience Branch, Human Research and Engineering Directorate, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD 20783, USA. william.d.hairston4.civ@mail.mil.
W David
WD
Hairston
Macromolecular Science and Technology Branch, Weapons and Materials Research Directorate, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD 20783, USA. randy.a.mrozek.civ@mail.mil.
Randy A
RA
Mrozek
electroencephalography (EEG); scanning electron microscope (SEM); silicone-based dry sensors