• Composites Research
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.148-154
• /
• 2021

Carbon/epoxy composite bipolar plate (BP) is a BP that is likely to replace existing graphite bipolar plate of vanadium redox flow cell (VRFB) due to its high mechanical properties and productivity. Multi-functional carbon/epoxy composite BP requires graphite coating or additional surface treatment to reduce interfacial contact resistance (ICR). However, the expanded graphite coating has the disadvantage of having low durability under VRFB operating conditions, and the surface treatments incur additional costs. In this work, an excessive resin absorption method is developed, which uniformly removes the resin rich area on the surface of the BP to expose carbon fibers by applying polyester fabric. This method not only reduces ICR by exposing carbon fibers to BP surfaces, but also forms a unique ditch pattern that can effectively hold carbon felt electrodes in place. The acidic environmental durability, mechanical properties, and gas permeability of the developed carbon/epoxy composite BP are experimentally verified.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.386-398
• /
• 2020

This study compared dip-coating and in situ polymerization methods for the development of nanofiber-based E-textile using polypyrrole. Nanofiber webs were fabricated by electrospinning an aqueous poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution. Subsequently, the PVA nanofiber web underwent thermal treatment to improve water resistance. Dip-coating and in situ polymerization methods were used to deposit polypyrrole on the surfaces of the nanofiber web. An FE-SEM analysis was also conducted to examine specimen surface characteristics along with EDS and FT-IR that analyzed the chemical bonding between polypyrrole and specimens. The line resistance and sheet resistance of the treated specimens were measured. Finally, an electrocardiogram (ECG) was measured with textile sensors made of the polypyrrole-deposited PVA nanofiber webs. The polypyrrole-deposited PVA nanofiber webs fabricated by dip-coating dissolved in the dip-coating solution and indicated damage to the nanofibers. However, in the case of in situ polymerization, polypyrrole nanoparticles were deposited on the surface and inter-web structure of the PVA nanofiber web. The resistance measurements indicated that polypyrrole-deposited PVA nanofiber webs fabricated by in situ polymerization with an average sheet resistance of 5.3 k(Ω/□). Polypyrrole-deposited PVA nanofiber webs fabricated by dip-coating showed an average sheet resistance of 57.3 k(Ω/□). Polypyrrole-deposited PVA nanofibers fabricated by in situ polymerization showed a lower line and sheet resistance; in addition, they detected the electrical activity of the heart during ECG measurements. The electrodes made from polypyrrole-deposited PVA nanofiber webs by in situ polymerization showed the best performance for sensing ECG signals among the evaluated specimens.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.31 no.2 s.161
• /
• pp.292-299
• /
• 2007

Development of portable device measuring the vital sign continuously with no limit of time and space is absolutely prerequisite for the U-health care that grafts the ubiquitous concept into medical system. Accordingly, it requires to develop a garment style apparatus for measuring vital-sign that is easy to wear on for a long time period. This study suggests a method to improve the insulation of electric cable and the skin adhesion of electrode by integrating the electric conductive material to garment, in order to develop a garment apparatus for measuring ECG for U-health care. Results of the research are as follows; In order to provide the adjacent conductive yarns with insulation, braid with narrow woven end was interlaced using polyester yarn. As a result, the direct contact between electric conductive yarns was restrained, which would be interposed into pin-tuck structured cable. Washable silicone gel applied around the electrode made of electric conductive fabric improved the adhesion, which prevents electrodes from dropping off from the skin surface during body movement. ECG signals on the human subject were tested using the garment apparatus developed by the above method. And the result was that the clear QRS wave formation in the typical form of ECG could be measured in both conditions of still and moving state as well. The result of this study is expected to contribute for the production of U-health care related medical apparatus by accelerating the practical uses of the garment measuring vital sign at a reasonable price.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.367-372
• /
• 2013

In this paper, micro dried bio-potential electrodes are demonstrated for sEMG (surface ElectroMyoGraphic) signal measurement using conductive epoxy on the textile fabric. Micro dried bio-potential electrodes on the textile fabric substrate have several advantages over the conventional wet/dry electrodes such as good feeling of wearing, possibility of extended-wearing due to the good ventilation. Also these electrodes on the textile fabric can easily apply to the curved skin surface. These electrodes are fabricated by the screen-printing process with the size of $1mm{\times}10mm$ and the resultant resistance of these electrodes have the average value of $0.4{\Omega}$. The conventional silver chloride electrode shows the average value of $0.3{\Omega}$. However, the electrode on the textile fabric are able to measure the sEMG signal without feeling of difference and this electrode shows the lower resistance of $1.03{\Omega}$ than conventional silver chloride electrode with $2.8{\Omega}$ in the condition of the very sharp curve surface (the radius of curvature is 40 mm).

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
• /
• v.66 no.7
• /
• pp.1141-1148
• /
• 2017

Generally, a thermistor made by sintering a metal oxide is widely used to measure the ambient temperature. This thermistor is widely used not only for industrial use but also for medical use because of its excellent sensitivity, durability, temperature change characteristics and low cost. In particular, the normal body temperature is 36.9 degrees relative to the armpit temperature, and it is most closely related to the circulating blood flow. Previous studies have shown that body temperature changes during biomechanical changes and body temperature changes by anomalous signs or illnesses. Therefore, in this study, we propose a Lock-In-Amp design to detect minute temperature changes of clothing and thermistor wired by a preacher as a method to regularly measure body temperature in daily life. Especially, it is designed to measure the minute resistance change of the thermistor according to body temperature change even in a low-cost microprocessor environment by using a micro-processor-based Lock-In-Amp, and a jacquard and the thermistor is arranged so as to be close to the side, so that the reference body temperature can be easily measured. The temperature was measured and stored in real time using short-range wireless communication for non - restraint temperature monitoring. A baby vest was made to verify its performance through temperature experiments for infants. The measurement of infant body temperature through the existing skin sensor or thermometer has limitations in monitoring infant body temperature for a long time without restriction. However, it can be overcome by using the embroidery fabric based micro temperature monitoring wireless monitoring device proposed in this study.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.80-84
• /
• 2023

Electrodes are one of the types of biosensors capable of measuring bio signals, such as electrocardiogram (ECG) and electromyogram (EMG) signals. These electrodes are used in various fields and offer the advantage of being able to measure ECG signals without the need for skin attachment, compared to Ag/AgCl electrodes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of conductive textile electrodes in collecting ECG signals in a bed-like environment. Three adult participants were involved, and a total of 30 minutes of ECG signals were collected for each participant. The collected ECG signals were analyzed to determine the heart rate, normLF and a comparison was made between the conductive textile electrodes and Ag/AgCl electrodes. As a result, the change in heart rate and normLF could be observed, and in particular, the difference between the two electrodes decreased. This study confirmed that conductive textile electrodes can effectively collect ECG signals in a bed-like environment. It is hoped that this research will lead to the development of a system that can detect various sleep-related diseases through the use of these electrodes.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.93-100
• /
• 2011

Maintenance of adequate soil water potential during the period of crop growth is necessary to support optimum plant growth and yields. A better understanding of soil water movement within and below the rooting zone can facilitate optimal irrigation scheduling aimed at minimizing the adverse effects of water stress on crop growth and development and the leaching of water below the root zone which can have adverse environmental effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using a portable irrigation controller with an Watermark sensor for the cultivation of drip-irrigated vegetable crops in a greenhouse. The control capability of the irrigation controller for a soil water potential of -20 kPa was evaluated under summer conditions by cultivating 45-day-old tomato plants grown in three differently textured soils (sandy loam, loam, and loamy sands). Water contents through each soil profile were continuously monitored using three Sentek probes, each consisting of three capacitance sensors at 10, 20, and 30 cm depths. Even though a repeatable cycling of soil water potential occurred for the potential treatment, the lower limit of the Watermark (about 0 kPa) obtained in this study presented a limitation of using the Watermark sensor for optimal irrigation of tomato plants where -20 kPa was used as a point for triggering irrigations. This problem might be related to the slow response time and inadequate soil-sensor interface of the Watermark sensor as compared to a porous and ceramic cup-based tensiometer with a sensitive pressure transducer. In addition, the irrigation time of 50 to 60 min at each of the irrigation operation gave a rapid drop of the potential to zero, resulting in over irrigation of tomatoes. There were differences in water content among the three different soil types under the variable rate irrigation, showing a range of water contents of 16 to 24%, 17 to 28%, and 24 to 32% for loamy sand, sandy loam, and loam soils, respectively. The greatest rate increase in water content was observed in the top of 10 cm depth of sandy loam soil within almost 60 min from the start of irrigation.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.280-287
• /
• 2008

For the reduction of common-mode noise level in Indirect-contact ECG (IDC-ECG) measurement a driven-right-leg grounding method was a lied to the IDC-ECG. Because the IDC-ECG does not require any direct contact between the electrodes and the human skin. it is adequate for un-constraining long-term ECG measurement at home and its various applications are now under development. However, larger 60 Hz noise induced by power line a ears in IDC-BCG than in conventional ECG, that is a restriction of IDC-ECG a application. In this study, the driven-right-leg ground which has been used in conventional direct-contact ECG, was adapted to the IDC-ECG measurement by feedback of the inversion of amplified common-mode noise to the body through the conductive fertile laid on the chair seat By this study, indirect-contact driven-right-leg ground was developed and it was shown to work stably. It was shown that the level of 60Hz power line noise was reduced to about -40 dB when the driven-right-leg gain was 1000. This study shows that we can extend the upper limit of the frequency band of IDC-ECG to 100Hz from 30Hz which is conventional upper limit in IDC-ECG, and we can raise the ground impedance between the body and conductive textile. So it is expected that the application area of the IDC-ECG will be extended by the results of this study.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.369-378
• /
• 2015

Various forms of wearable bio-signal monitoring systems have been developed recently. Acquisition of stable bio-signal data for health care purposes needs to be unconscious and continuous without hindrance to the users' daily activities. The garment type is a suitable form of a wearable bio-signal monitoring system; however, motion artifacts caused by body movement degrade the signal quality during the measurement of bio-signals. It is crucial to stabilize the electrode position to reduce motion artifacts generated when in motion. The problems with motion artifacts remain unresolved despite their significant effect on bio-signal monitoring. This research creates a foundation for the design of garment-type wearable systems for everyday use by finding a method to reduce motion artifacts through modular design. Two distinct garment-type wearable systems (tee-shirt with a motion artifact-reducing module (MARM) and tee-shirt without a MARM) were designed to compare the effects of modular design on the measurement of heart activity in terms of electrode position displacement, signal quality index value, and morphological quality. The tee-shirt with MARM showed superior properties and yielded higher quality signals than the tee-shirt without MARM. In addition, the tee-shirt with MARM showed a better repeatability of the heart activity signals. Therefore, a garment design with MARM is an efficient way to acquire stable bio-signals while in motion.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
• /
• v.62 no.6
• /
• pp.803-810
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of shape of the inductive textile electrode on the non-contact heart activity sensing, based on the magnetic-induced conductivity principle. Four types of the inductive textile electrodes were determined according to the combinations of the two shape features. A fiber-metal hybrid-typed conductive thread was developed and applied to materialization of the textile electrodes by embroidery method. The heart activity was extracted through the textile electrode sewn on a T-shirt. The experiments were implemented to constantly measure the heart activity for 20 seconds, in each case of 5 healthy male subjects. The heart activity signals acquired in each type of the inductive textile electrode were analyzed, 1)by drawing a comparison of morphology with those of ECG signal (LeadII), and 2)by calculation of the normalized mean and standard deviation of magnitude of the heart activity signals. The analysis resulted that the relatively better quality of signals were acquired in the 'square' types in the matter of whole shape, while the better results were obtained in 'donut' types in the matter of center hole. Accordingly, the relatively best quality of signals was obtained in the case of 'Square-Donut' type of the inductive textile electrode.