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A PDMS-based microneedle array electrode for long-term ECG recording

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Abstract

To acquire high-quality electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, traditional Ag/AgCl wet electrodes used together with conductive gel can effectively reduce electrode–skin interface impedance (EII) in a short term. However, their weaknesses of poor flexibility and instability can no longer meet the long-term monitoring requirements of intelligent wearable devices. Owing to the flexible dry electrode without conductive gel, it is a good choice to solve the critical problem on drying-out of conductive gel. Therefore, we develop a flexible microneedle array electrode (FMAE) based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate, which obtains reliable bioelectrical signals by way of penetrating into the stratum corneum (SC) of the skin. The fabrication process, including silicon mold, twice PDMS shape-transferring and encapsulation, has advantages of low cost, repeatable production and good biocompatibility. Afterwards, by comparing the performance with different electrodes, impedance test results indicate that the impedance of FMAE are smaller and more stable, and ECG tests in long term and at resting/jogging states also verify that FMAE can obtain durable, stable and reliable signals. In conclusion, FMAE is promising in long-term ECG monitoring.

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Funding

This work was supported in part by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant 2020YFC0122102), the National Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 51875535, Grant No.61927807), the Fund for Shanxi ‘1331 Project’ Key Subject Construction (1331KSC).

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Author notes

  1. Renxin Wang and Jianxin Bai contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Dynamic Testing Technology, North University of China, Taiyuan, 030051, China

    Renxin Wang, Jianxin Bai, Xiaohang Zhu, Zhaodong Li, Lixia Cheng, Guojun Zhang & Wendong Zhang

  2. Science and Technology On Sonar Laboratory, Hangzhou, 310000, China

    Renxin Wang

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  1. Renxin Wang
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  2. Jianxin Bai
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  3. Xiaohang Zhu
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  4. Zhaodong Li
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  6. Guojun Zhang
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  7. Wendong Zhang
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Correspondence to Wendong Zhang.

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Wang, R., Bai, J., Zhu, X. et al. A PDMS-based microneedle array electrode for long-term ECG recording. Biomed Microdevices 24, 27 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-022-00626-y

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