Skin Conformal and Antibacterial PPy-Leather Electrode for ECG Monitoring

The commonly used electrocardiogram monitoring electrodes (hydrogel electrodes, fabric electrodes, etc.) suffer from fast degradation of signal quality due to water loss. Therefore, such electrodes are not suitable for long-term monitoring. Herein, the conductive polymer polypyrrole (PPy) is polymerized in situ on goat leather, and the obtained conductive leather is used as a wearable dry electrode to contact human skin and collect electrophysiological signals for daily health monitoring. Because of its own surface structure, the wearable dry leather electrode obtained by a simple method can form a conformal contact with the skin to reduce noise during electrical signal acquisition. In addition, PPy-leather electrodes have good antibacterial properties and are more breathable and comfortable than the commercial Ag/AgCl gel electrode. Such an electrode is more suitable for long-term health monitoring.