Abstract
Wearable physiological monitoring shifts healthcare from intermittent clinical measurements toward continuous assessment in everyday and clinical environments. This transition is particularly important because electrophysiological and mechanical signals vary with movement, posture, fatigue, sleep, and clinical condition, while transient abnormalities may be missed during brief examinations. However, current commercial wearable electrodes often rely on rigid components, adhesive interfaces, conductive gels, and bulky layouts that limit stable body contact, motion tolerance, environmental durability, and user comfort during prolonged recording. Motivated by these needs, this dissertation bridges conductive material formulation, scalable fabrication, three-dimensional electrode design, system level integration, and human subject validation to develop soft wearable platforms for continuous physiological monitoring. The first platform is a waterproof and gel free electronic textile system based on screen printed poly(3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), and three-dimensional conductive microfibers. The microfiber interface improves skin contact and reduces electrode skin impedance, while a water repellent surface treatment enables stable electrocardiogram (ECG) and electromyography (EMG) recording during exercise, perspiration, and swimming. A multichannel textile configuration further supports maternal ECG and uterine EMG monitoring and spatial mapping in clinical studies. The second platform is a multimodal microporous sponge electrode that acquires electrophysiological and mechanical signals through a single soft interface. The PEDOT:PSS coated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sponge provides low impedance biopotential recording and pressure sensing through resistance and capacitance changes, enabling ECG, EMG, pulse, and uterine contraction monitoring. The third platform is a carbon black PDMS sponge pillar electrode for ambulatory electroencephalography (EEG). A supportive base provides scalp access through hair, while a compliant porous tip retains conductive gel, reduces contact impedance, and improves comfort and motion tolerance during multichannel and sleep EEG recording. Collectively, these systems demonstrate that material formulation, contact geometry, porous architecture, and wearable integration can be coordinated to achieve reliable long-term physiological monitoring across all-day use and clinical environments.
Committee Chair
Chuan Wang
Committee Members
Christopher Cooper; Sang-Hoon Bae; Shantanu Chakrabartty; Yong Wang
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Author's Department
Interdisciplinary Programs
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
8-6-2026
Language
English (en)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7936/fjgw-3v91
Recommended Citation
Kim, Chansoo, "Advancing Wearable Health Monitoring Through Soft Electronic Systems" (2026). McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations. 1418.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.7936/fjgw-3v91