Dry Fiber-Based Electrodes for Electrophysiology Applications

Ladan Eskandarian; Elmira Pajootan; Amirali Toossi; Hani E. Naguib

doi:10.1007/s42765-023-00263-x

Advanced Fiber Materials ›› 2023, Vol. 5 ›› Issue (3) : 819 -846. DOI: 10.1007/s42765-023-00263-x

Review

Dry Fiber-Based Electrodes for Electrophysiology Applications

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¹Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, M5S 3E4, Toronto, ON, Canada

²Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, H3A 0C5, Montreal, QC, Canada

³Research and Development Department, Myant Inc, M9W 1B6, Toronto, ON, Canada

⁴Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, M5S 3G8, Toronto, ON, Canada

⁵Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, M5S 3G8, Toronto, ON, Canada

^d naguib@mie.utoronto.ca

Dr. Ladan Eskandarian

is a Senior Manager of Functional Materials at Myant Inc., Canada. Previously, she worked in multiple research and development roles at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan) and Western University (Canada). Her research interests involve discovery and processing of sustainable functional materials, fibre-shaped energy storage devices and sensing systems. She is currently focused on the design and development of advanced multifunctional materials and fabrication technologies to create the next generation of wearables.

Dr. Elmira Pajootan

is a researcher at National Research Council Canada. She finished her graduate studies in Textile Chemistry and Fiber Science at Amirkabir University of Technology in 2014 and received her Ph.D. degree from the department of Chemical Engineering at McGill University in 2022. Her research focuses on the sustainable development of electrode materials for various applications, including energy storage/conversion, wastewater treatment, electrocatalytic reactions, sensors and wearables.

Dr. Amirali Toossi

is an adjunct assistant professor at the Department of Medicine of the University of Alberta, Canada, and Manager of Biomedical Engineering at Myant Inc, Canada. His research interests include Biomedical engineering, Neural engineering, and Smart Textiles for Medicine and Biology.

Dr. Hani E. Naguib

is a Professor at the University of Toronto, and the founding director of the Toronto Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and the Toronto Smart Materials and Structures Group. His major expertise is in manufacturing of integrated material systems and devices including stimuli responsive materials, meta materials, and biomaterials. His research group focus on the development of self assembly, micro and nanofabrication, and additive manufacturing techniques for developing these smart material systems. He is a Professional Engineer in Canada, a Chartered Engineer in U.K. Naguib is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining IOM3, Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME, Fellow of the International Society for Optics and Photonics SPIE, Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers SPE, and Fellow of the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers CSME.

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Abstract

Long-term continuous health care monitoring, using wearable technologies has received considerable interest due to the significant contribution of wearables to the diagnosis of diseases and identification of health conditions. Fibers have been widely applied in human societies due to their unique advantages, including stretchability, small diameters, high dynamic bending elasticity, high length-to-width ratios, and mechanical strength. A new generation of fiber-based electrodes is being integrated into smart textiles and wearables for continuous long-term biosignal monitoring. Dry fiber-based electrodes are breathable, flexible, and durable, unlike conventional disposable gel electrodes, which are difficult to employ for long-term applications because of skin irritation and allergic responses caused by their moist and adhesive interface with the skin. In this review, we provide a concise summary of recent breakthroughs in the design, and manufacturing of dry fiber-based electrodes for electrophysiology applications, with a particular emphasis on applications in electrocardiography, electromyography, and electroencephalography. Focusing on numerous features of electroactive fiber materials, fiber processing, electrode fabrication, scaled-up manufacturing, standardization of testing and performance criteria, we discuss current limitations and provide an outlook for the future development of this field.

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Ladan Eskandarian, Elmira Pajootan, Amirali Toossi, Hani E. Naguib. Dry Fiber-Based Electrodes for Electrophysiology Applications. Advanced Fiber Materials, 2023, 5(3): 819-846 DOI:10.1007/s42765-023-00263-x