Design and Fabrication of Printed Human Skin Model Equivalent Circuit: A Tool for Testing Biomedical Electrodes without Human Trials

Peřinka, Nikola; Štrbac, Matija; Kostić, Miloš; Malešević, Jovana; Castro, Nélson; Correia, V.; Lanceros‐Méndez, S.

doi:10.1002/adem.202100684

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Modeling and simulated electrode designs have been explored for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), flexible, and stretchable electrodes. [147][148][149] However, with the emergence of materials science and engineering, different polymeric materials are currently being used to design flexible, stretchable, and soft electronics or robotics. Moreover, printing metallic electrodes on soft and hyperplastic polymeric materials remains quite challenging, especially for flexible and stretchable electrodes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Printed Dry Electrodes for Electrophysiological Signal Monitoring: A Review

Alsharif

Cucuri

Mishra

et al. 2023

Adv Materials Technologies

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EP electrodes are classified into two main categories: invasive (internal) and non-invasive (external). Non-invasive electrodes involve a harmless approach that detects EP signals from the surface of the human skin. [13,14] Human skin is divided into two main layers: the epidermis and dermis. The outer layer of human skin, the stratum corneum on the epidermis, has outstanding electrode-skin impedance features. [15] Therefore, while employing noninvasive electrodes for EP signal detection, it is essential to minimize the effect of the stratum corneum completely and thoroughly. Majority of the non-invasive electrodes are used in medical monitoring systems and are composed of silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) electrodes, [16][17][18][19] which have been utilized for many years. [20,21] In fact, state-of-the-art non-invasive electrodes are traditionally classified into three types based on the proportion of electrolytes present at the electrodeskin interface: wet electrodes, semi-dry electrodes, and dry electrodes. [22] Traditional wet electrodes setup includes Ag/AgCl electrodes and conductive gels that lowers the electrode-skin impedance between the electrodes and the epidermal layer of the human skin. The introduction of the gel plays an important role in establishing a non-polarized electrode-electrolyte interface and a stable electrode-skin interface. However, conductive gels or pastes limit the long-term monitoring of electrodes because of its tendency to cause skin irritation. [23] They can dehydrate and coagulate after prolonged use, thereby increasing the signal detection noise and degrading the signal quality. [24] In recent decades, several approaches have been developed to fabricate dry electrodes that do not require wet gels, making them a promising alternative as they have enhanced signal quality, portability, and ease of use. [25] Dry electrodes have clearly demonstrated several advantages, including rapid setup as well as user comfort due to the absence of conductive gels, skin preparation, and post-monitor cleaning. However, due to a lack of electrolytes, dry electrodes typically produce high electrode-skin impedance values that are substantially greater than those of wet electrodes. Furthermore, dry electrodes are prone to ambient noise and movement artifacts, making them unsuitable for mobile applications such as sports and where movement is required due to the noise produced in the EP signal. [22] The semi-dry electrode came out to be the most promising option. Although this term is out of the scope of this paper, semi-dry electrodes replaced the conductive gels 3D printed on-skin electrodes are of notable interest because, unlike traditional wet silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) on-skin electrodes, they can be personalized and 3D printed using a variety of materials with distinct properties such as stretchability, conformal interfaces with skin, biocompatibility, wearable comfort, and, finally, low-cost manufacturing. Dry on-skin electrodes, in particular, have the additional advantage of replacing...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Printed Dry Electrodes for Electrophysiological Signal Monitoring: A Review

Alsharif

Cucuri

Mishra

et al. 2023

Adv Materials Technologies

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“…To address this, the OECT design was further improved and tested in conditions specific for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). The testing was performed on a human model equivalent circuit (HMEC), a device that mirrors the electrical behavior a human subject connected to the system [23]. The skin impedance is a complex function of tissue and stimuli properties; however, in the case of transcutaneous electrical stimulation, it exhibits largely resistive and capacitive properties [24,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The device used in the presented work was configured with parameters that reflect the case where the system interface consists of small electrode pads (100-300 mm 2 ) with hydrogel [1,26]. The used parametrization procedure was established in our previous work, which was also within the WEARPLEX project [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and Development of OECT Logic Circuits for Electrical Stimulation Applications

Kostić¹,

Kojić

Ičagić³

et al. 2022

Applied Sciences

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This paper presents the first successful implementation of fully printed electronics for flexible and wearable smart multi-pad stimulation electrodes intended for use in medical, sports and lifestyle applications. The smart multi-pad electrodes with the electronic circuits based on organic electrochemical transistor (OECT)-based electronic circuits comprising the 3–8 decoder for active pad selection and high current throughput transistors for switching were produced by multi-layer screen printing. Devices with different architectures of switching transistors were tested in relevant conditions for electrical stimulation applications. An automated testbed with a configurable stimulation source and an adjustable human model equivalent circuit was developed for this purpose. Three of the proposed architectures successfully routed electrical currents of up to 15 mA at an output voltage of 30 V, while one was reliably performing even at 40 V. The presented results demonstrate feasibility of the concept in a range of conditions relevant to several applications of electrical stimulation.

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