Highly conformal, ultrathin, robust Au@AgNWs/PVDF epidermal electrodes for electrophysiological signals recording

Non-invasive epidermal electrodes have emerged as a smart health monitoring apparatus to record the electrophysiological signals. However, previously reported conformal epidermal electrodes based on AgNWs are generally unresilient to oxidization, thus limiting their application in long-term wearable healthcare electronics. Here, by in-situ growth of Au on Ag-nanowires, we produce Au@AgNWs/PVDF epidermal electrodes. Owing to the protection of Au, our epidermal electrode exhibits higher robustness than AgNWs/PVDF electrode. Besides, the PVDF matrix with high dielectric constant and good biocompatibility effectively reduced contact impedance and skin irritation. Using these Au@AgNWs/PVDF electrodes, we successfully monitored electroencephalographic signals, demonstrating its ability in recording high-quality electrophysiological signals.