Preparation of Fabric Sensor for Heart Signal Acquisition Using Printing and Electroless Plating of Copper on Polyester Fabric

• Main Authors: F. Haghdoost, V. Mottaghitalab
• Format: Article
• Language: fas
• Published: Isfahan University of Technology 2015-07-01
• Series: Journal of Advanced Materials in Engineering
• Subjects: Copper electroless; Screen printing; Bioelectric signal; Flexible electrode
• Online Access: http://jame.iut.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-668&slc_lang=en&sid=1

In the last decade, a significant progress has been made in the wearable medical devices. Scientists are extensively involved in the design of the flexible instruments equipped with garments to fulfill the daily needs and requirements. The fulfillment of this demand particularly needs a conductive fabric substrate with a high level of homogeneity, and the lowest barrier against electrical current. In this study, textile based ECG electrode was prepared by screen printing of activator followed by electroless plating of copper particles. The data acquisition showed the best outcome with pH=8.5 and the plating temperature of 70 ˚C. The electrical resistance showed a range around 0.08 Ω/sq, which sounds quite proper for ECG signal acquisition since the potential difference according to heart activity on skin surface is in milivolt range. We tested the cardiac signal with a reference electrode of Electroshock monitoring system and the results revealed a very high quality receiving signal. Employing of these types of sensors in textile surface due to their flexibility can bring the users more freedom of action.