Electrocardiogram of a Silver Nanowire Based Dry Electrode: Quantitative Comparison with the Standard Ag/AgCl Gel Electrode

Novel dry electrodes have promoted the development of wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) that is collected in daily life to monitor the ambulatory activity of heart status. To evaluate the performance of a dry electrode, it is necessary to compare it with the commercial disposable silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) gel electrode. In this paper, a silver nanowire (AgNW)-based dry electrode was fabricated for noninvasive and wearable ECG sensing. Signals from the AgNW electrode and the Ag/AgCl electrode were simultaneously collected in two conditions: sitting and walking. Signal quality was evaluated in terms of ECG morphology, R-peak to R-peak interval, and heart rate variability analysis. Quantitative comparisons showed that the AgNW electrode could collect acceptable ECG waveforms as the Ag/AgCl electrode in both the sitting and walking conditions. However, the baseline drift and waveform distortions existed in the AgNW electrode, likely due to electrode motion. If the skin-electrode contact is improved, the dry electrode can be a promising substitute for the Ag/AgCl electrode.