Conference Speakers

Kihyun Lee

Graduate Student, UNC-Chapel Hill

Wearable Electrophysiological Monitoring Using Recyclable and Breathable MXene-based Non-woven Electrodes

Disposable electrodes are widely used for electrophysiological monitoring but generate large amounts of non-degradable waste, causing environmental issues. To overcome the limited recyclability of conventional electrodes, we have developed a non-woven MXene fiber electrode incorporating gelatin molecules through a wet spinning process. By utilizing gelatin's temperature-reversible sol/gel transition (around 40�C), we can easily refabricate the fabric repeatedly without performance degradation. The resulting non-woven structure combines high conductivity, flexibility, and mechanical durability with excellent breathability and skin conformability. Precise control over fiber diameter allows for adjustment of electrode density and enhancement of electrode-skin coupling with low impedance and high-fidelity bio-signal acquisition. The fabric electrode shows consistent ECG and EMG signals during repeated recycling cycles. These results demonstrate a sustainable alternative design for the bioelectronic electrode that can replace conventional disposable electrodes.