To transition from stationary ECG monitors to portable ones, traditional Ag/AgCl wet electrodes must be replaced with more robust and flexible sensors that can be integrated into wearable textiles for long-term monitoring. Flexible polymer composites embedded with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are an ideal candidate for this application due to their low reactivity and desirable mechanical properties. However, these composites may need to be incorporated directly into textiles and clothing, which often have mechanical properties that vary greatly from the polymeric electrode. Here, we study the mechanical and electrical properties of three different polymers, polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and styrene-butadine-styrene (SBS) under varying loading of CNTs when integrated into clothing as an ECG electrode.
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