Fabric-Based Ultrasonic Sensor with Integrated Piezoelectric Composite for Blood Pressure Monitoring

Abstract

Blood pressure is an important indicator that reflects human health status. Since long-term monitoring of blood pressure waveforms can provide important information for the diagnosis and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Wearable, non-invasive, and continuous monitoring of blood pressure waveforms have become a current research hotspot. In this paper, a fabric-based ultrasound sensors are produced for continuous non-invasive monitoring of blood pressure waveforms by combining an “S”-shaped stretchable island bridge electrode with a fabric substrate utilizing hot press transfer. The results show that the 4 × 5 array ultrasound sensors can locate arterial vessels deep in the tissue, allowing accurate, and continuous monitoring of blood pressure. Its axial resolution can reach 330 µm, and the elongation at the break of the “S”-shaped electrode can reach 35.6%. The prepared sensor has good air permeability and stability, and does not cause skin irritation during long-term wear.