What is it about?
Locally available surface sEMG electrodes were used to deposit Au films at three thicknesses (100, 200, and 300 nm). The electrode gel is removed then the electrodes are cleaned with an ultrasonic device in alcohol. The Au films were deposited using an Edwards coating unit under a high vacuum of 10-6 mbar. The evaporated Au mass to obtain the required thickness is determined using the approximation weight method. The deposited thin films were investigated by different techniques including X-ray diffraction (Shimadzu XRD 6000), Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (ZEISS), atomic force microscopy (AA3000 Scanning Probe), and electrical conductivity using Keithley electrometer. The components of the EMG system are assembled from locally available parts from three main parts, electrodes unit, myRIO unit, and LabVIEW unit
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Why is it important?
In this work, a Surface Electromyographic (sEMG) signal was improved by the deposition of gold thin films with different thicknesses on the EMG electrodes, to be more efficient in diagnosing and studying the dynamics of muscles or investigating neuromuscular disorders. The effect of Au thin film thickness on structural, surface morphology, and electrical properties of the sEMG electrode and in turn on the accuracy of collected signals were investigated. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) for the deposited Au thin films shows enhanced crystallinity, and increase crystallite size, eliminating the lattice strain with increasing sample thickness.
Perspectives
A new method for improving the EMG signal using Au nano-coating was achieved, which can be used in place of the conventional method by gel-wetted electrodes, which can cause skin allergies in some patients. The deposited films have good crystallinity and the crystalline size increased, and the lattice strain is reduced with increasing the thickness of the films. The sample surface deposited with less thickness has more homogeneity and smoothness. This thin film enhances the electrical conductivity of the electrode, which enhances the intensity of the EMG signal is enhanced after the coating process. The recorded signals appear with little noise after signal treatment with filters.
Yousif Al Mashhadany
University of Anbar
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Enhancement of the measurement electromyography (EMG) signal based on probe nano metal coating, January 2023, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0189951.
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