Shaped Conductive Particles in Transfer Tape for Dry Electrodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electrodes for biopotential measurement face challenges due to high impedance from the stratum corneum's lack of moisture, leading to inefficiencies in ion mobility, and existing dry electrodes are costly to produce, limiting their market competitiveness.
Innovation Solution
The use of transfer tape articles with microreplicated, shaped electrically conductive particles coated with redox materials, which can penetrate the stratum corneum and form a conductive pathway, eliminating the need for hydrogels and enabling a more economical production process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional wet electrodes are used, then good electrical contact is achieved through hydrogel, but production cost increases and market competitiveness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical and chemical parameters of the electrode structure by using shaped conductive particles with specific geometries (needles, pyramids, cones) instead of traditional hydrogel material. These shaped particles penetrate the stratum corneum to create direct electrical contact pathways, achieving reliable electrical contact while using simpler, more cost-effective materials that can be applied as a transfer tape layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure combining shaped conductive particles (metal or conductive polymer) with a adhesive matrix material. This composite approach allows the electrode to achieve both good electrical contact through particle penetration and adequate adhesion to the skin, while avoiding the high cost of traditional hydrogel materials.
2Ease of manufacture
If dry electrodes are used to eliminate hydrogel, then production cost decreases, but impedance increases due to stratum corneum's lack of moisture
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the electrode structure into discrete shaped conductive particles distributed within an adhesive matrix. These individual particles act as separate penetration elements that create multiple independent electrical pathways through the stratum corneum, reducing overall impedance while maintaining the dry electrode structure and low production cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by concentrating conductive material specifically at the particle tips that contact the skin, rather than using a uniform conductive layer. The shaped particles (needles, pyramids, cones) have enhanced conductivity at their penetration points, creating low-impedance pathways locally while maintaining the overall dry electrode structure.
3Reliability
If shaped conductive particles are used to penetrate stratum corneum, then ion mobility improves and impedance reduces, but electrode structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses shaped conductive particles that replicate effective penetration geometries (needles, pyramids, cones) known to penetrate biological barriers. By copying these proven shapes at a microscopic scale and distributing them throughout the adhesive layer, the electrode achieves reliable ion mobility enhancement without requiring complex active penetration mechanisms or sophisticated structures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces impedance by facilitating ion mobility through skin penetration, enhancing the effectiveness of dry electrodes while reducing production costs, making them more viable in the market compared to traditional wet electrodes.
Implementation Method 1
shaped electrically conductive particles that can penetrate the stratum corneum and form a conductive pathway
Implementation Method 2
a first layer of adhesive envelopes the conductive particles
Data Source
AI summary
Transfer tape articles are suitable for preparing dry electrodes. The transfer tape articles include a release liner and a conductive transfer tape layer adjacent to the release liner. The conductive transfer tape layer includes a layer of adhesive and a discontinuous layer of electrically conductive shaped particles, where the shaped particles have at least one point. The adhesive envelopes the conductive particles, and at least one point of the electrically conductive particles protrudes from the conductive transfer tape layer. The conductive transfer tape layer can be a single layer of adhesive or a multi-layer construction including a first adhesive layer, a support layer, and a second adhesive layer.