Abstract
Numerous fields of science and technology, including healthcare, robotics and bioelectronics, have begun to switch their research direction from developing ‘high-end, high-cost’ tools towards ‘high-end, low-cost’ solutions. Graphene electronic tattoos (GETs), whose fabrication protocol is discussed in this work, are ideal building blocks of future wearable technology due to their outstanding electromechanical properties. The GETs are composed of high-quality, large-scale graphene that is transferred onto tattoo paper, resulting in an electronic device that is applied onto skin like a temporary tattoo. Here, we provide a comprehensive GET fabrication protocol, starting from graphene growth and ending with integration onto human skin. The methodology presented is unique since it utilizes high-quality electronic-grade graphene, while the processing is done by using low-cost and off-the-shelf methods, such as a mechanical cutter plotter. The GETs can be either used in combination with advanced scientific equipment to perform precision experiments, or with low-cost electrophysiology boards, to conduct similar operations from home. In this protocol, we showcase how GETs can be applied onto the human body and how they can be used to obtain a variety of biopotentials, including electroencephalogram (brain waves), electrocardiogram (heart activity), electromyogram (muscle activity), as well as monitoring of body temperature and hydration. With graphene available from commercial sources, the whole protocol consumes ~3 h of labor and does not require highly trained personnel. The protocol described in this work can be readily replicated in simple laboratories, including high school facilities.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported in part by the Office of Naval Research grant N00014-18-1-2706. We also acknowledge the support, in part, of National Science Foundation (NSF) grant 2031674. We thank F. Qing of UESTC, and NASCENT-Grolltex collaboration for providing us with large-scale CVD-grown graphene.
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Contributions
S.K.A., N.L. and D.A. conceived the idea and performed initial experiments. D.K. and S.K.A. optimized the procedure. D.K. and S.K.A. developed the protocol. D.K., S.K.A., A.N., H.J. and J.K. performed the experiments and analyzed the data. D.K. complied the data, wrote the manuscript, and designed the video supplements. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the editing of the manuscript.
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Peer review information Nature Protocols thanks Mario Caironi, Wenlong Cheng and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.
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Related links
Key references using this protocol:
Kabiri Ameri, S. et al. ACS Nano 11, 7634–7641 (2017): https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.7b02182
Ameri, S. K. et al. npj 2D Mater. Appl. 2, 1–7 (2018): https://doi.org/10.1038/s41699-018-0064-4
Sel, K. et al. BioCAS 2019 - Biomed. Circuits Syst. Conf. Proc. 1–4 (2019): https://doi.org/10.1109/BIOCAS.2019.8919003
Supplementary information
Supplementary Information
Supplementary Tables 1 and 2.
Supplementary Video 1
Visual aid to help understanding procedure for Step 18 of the protocol – reversing graphene
Supplementary Video 2
Visual aid to help understanding procedure for Step 21 of the protocol – shaping GETs via Cameo plotter
Supplementary Video 3
Visual aid to help understanding procedure for Step 22 of the protocol – removing excess of graphene.
Supplementary Video 4
Visual aid to help understanding procedure for Step 24-Option A of the protocol – contacting GETs via copper tape
Supplementary Video 5
Visual aid to help understanding procedure for Step 24-Option B of the protocol – contacting GETs via silver epoxy
Supplementary Video 6
Visual aid to help understanding procedure for Step 25 – troubleshooting the GET transfer on skin
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Source Data Fig. 14
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Kireev, D., Ameri, S.K., Nederveld, A. et al. Fabrication, characterization and applications of graphene electronic tattoos. Nat Protoc 16, 2395–2417 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-020-00489-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-020-00489-8
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