Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube-Coated Cotton Yarn for Electrocardiography Transmission.

Yuliang Zhao,Yuying Cao,Zhikun Zhan,Wen Li,Xiaoli Li,Junshan Liu

doi:10.3390/mi9030132

Abstract

We fabricated a type of conductive fabric, specifically single-wall carbon nanotube-coated cotton yarns (SWNT-CYs), for electrocardiography (ECG) signal transmission utilizing a “dipping and drying” method. The conductive cotton yarns were prepared by dipping cotton yarns in SWNTs (single-wall carbon nanotubes) solutions and then drying them at room temperature—a simple process that shows consistency in successfully coating cotton yarns with conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The influence of fabrication conditions on the conductivity properties of SWNT-CYs was investigated. The results demonstrate that our conductive yarns can transmit weak bio-electrical (i.e., ECG) signals without significant attenuation and distortion. Our conductive cotton yarns, which combine the flexibility of conventional fabrics and the good conductivity of SWNTs, are promising materials for wearable electronics and sensor applications in the future.

Highlights

Electrocardiography (ECG) is a widely accepted method to convey information of the heart’s electrical conduction system
We have developed a simple, effective, and controllable process for fabricating conductive cotton yarns, which can be used as flexible conducting “wires” to transmit weak bioelectrical signals
Various experiments were performed to investigate the electrical conductivity and transmission performance of single SWNT-CY and multi-strand twisted SWNT-CYs. We demonstrated that these SWNT-CYs could be used as traditional conductors for transmitting weak ECG signals of the human body in place of commercial metal-based lead wire for electrical signal detection

Summary

Introduction

Electrocardiography (ECG) is a widely accepted method to convey information of the heart’s electrical conduction system. Gold and silver nanoparticles, assembled as polymer brushes, have been used to enhance the conductivity of cotton fabrics These materials are prohibitively costly and sometimes lack biocompatibility to be used in wearable devices. For the envisioned applications of the single-wall carbon nanotube-coated cotton yarns (SWNT-CYs) discussed in this paper, we could develop an effective method to prevent the direct contact of CNTs to human skins by coating the SWNT-CYs with bio-compatible materials without affecting the overall conductivity of these fabrics. The electrical properties of SWNT-coated cotton yarns (SWNT-CYs), fabricated under different conditions, were investigated These single SWNT-CY and multi-strand twisted SWNT-CYs. Micromachines 2018, 9, 132 were used to transmit the electrocardiography (ECG) signals of a young male (20 years old) subject. Written informed consent was obtained from the subject before he participated in the study

Materials Fabrication Process for Conductive Cotton Yarns

Conclusions