Low-Contact Impedance Textile Electrode for Real-Time Detection of ECG Signals

The quality of the electrocardiography (ECG) signals depends on the effectiveness of the electrode–skin connection. However, current electrocardiogram electrodes (ECGE) often face challenges such as high contact impedance and unstable conductive networks, which hinder accurate measurement during movement and long-term wearability. Herein, in this work, a bionic 3D pile textile as an ECGE with high electrical conductivity and flexibility is prepared by a facile, continuous, and high-efficiency electrostatic self-assembly process. Integrating pile textiles with conductive materials creates a full textile electrode for bioelectrical signal detection that can retain both the inherent characteristics of textiles and high conductivity. Moreover, the dense piles on the textile surface make full contact with the skin, mitigating motion artifacts caused by the sliding between the textile and the skin. The continuous conductive network formed by the interconnected piles allows the pile textile ECGE (PT-ECGE) to function effectively under both static and dynamic conditions. Leveraging the unique pile structure, the PT-ECGE achieves superior flexibility, improved conductivity, low contact impedance, and high adaptivity, washability, and durability. The textile electrode, as a promising candidate for wearable devices, offers enormous application possibilities for the unconscious and comfortable detection of physiological signals.