Light-cured polymer electrodes for non-invasive EEG recordings

Abstract

We invented the first non-metallic, self-adhesive and dry biosignalling electrode. The PEDOT polymer electrode changes its aggregate state and conductivity by a light curing procedure. The electrode can be applied as a gel underneath hair without shaving. With the aid of blue light, the electrode can be hardened within a few seconds at the desired location on the scalp. The cured polymer electrode is highly conductive and can be applied on a very small location. Unlike other EEG electrodes, our electrode does not lose conductivity upon drying. Furthermore, our electrode strongly bonds to skin and does not require any additional adhesive. Short circuits due to an outflow of gel are prevented with this technique. Therefore, the PEDOT polymer electrode is extremely well suited for applications that, up to now, have been challenging, such as non-invasive EEG recordings from awake and freely moving animals, EEG recordings from preterm babies in the neonatal intensive care unit or long-term recordings in the case of sleep monitoring or epilepsy diagnostics. We addressed two technical questions in this work. First, is the EEG recorded with polymer electrodes comparable to a standard EEG? Second, is it possible to record full-band EEGs with our electrodes?