Graphene-clad textile electrodes for electrocardiogram monitoring

Functionalized textiles and graphene are both emerging materials for wearable technologies. Here, we unite graphene with ordinary textiles and report the development of graphene-clad, conductive textile electrodes for biosignal acquisition specifically in cardiac monitoring. The proposed electrode was prepared by dipping nylon fabric in reduced graphene oxide (rGO) solution followed by a subsequent thermal treatment to allow conformal coating of conductive graphene layers around the fabric. The application of the electrode was demonstrated by successful measurements of the electrocardiogram (ECG). Performance of the textile-based electrodes were compared to the conventional silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) electrodes in terms of skin-electrode impedance, ECG signal quality and noise levels. Excellent conformity and cross correlation of 97% was achieved between the signals measured with the new graphene-clad textile electrodes and conventional electrodes.