A gel-free Ti₃C₂T_x-based electrode array for high-density, high-resolution surface electromyography.

Wearable sensors for surface electromyography (EMG) are composed of single- to few-channel large-area contacts, which exhibit high interfacial impedance and require conductive gels or adhesives to record high-fidelity signals. These devices are also limited in their ability to record activation across large muscle groups due to poor spatial coverage. To address these challenges, we have developed a novel high-density EMG array based on titanium carbide (Ti₃C₂T_x) MXene encapsulated in parylene-C. Ti₃C₂T_x is a two-dimensional nanomaterial with excellent electrical, electrochemical, and mechanical properties, which forms colloidally stable aqueous dispersions, enabling safe, scalable solutions-processing. Leveraging the excellent combination of metallic conductivity, high pseudocapacitance, and ease of processability of Ti₃C₂T_x MXene, we demonstrate the fabrication of gel-free, high-density EMG arrays which are ~8 μm thick, feature 16 recording channels, and are highly skin-conformable. The impedance of Ti₃C₂T_x electrodes in contact with human skin is 100-1000x lower than the impedance of commercially-available electrodes which require conductive gels to be effective. Furthermore, our arrays can record high-fidelity, low-noise EMG, and can resolve muscle activation with improved spatiotemporal resolution and sensitivity compared to conventional gelled electrodes. Overall, our results establish Ti₃C₂T_x-based bioelectronic interfaces as a powerful platform technology for high-resolution, non-invasive wearable sensing technologies.

Duke Scholars

Author Patrick Mulcahey