Noise of surface bio-potential electrodes based on NASICON ceramic and Ag-AgCl

The electrochemical noise from dry NASICON-based surface electrodes and pregelled Ag-AgCl electrodes is evaluated in saline solutions and on the skin. The electrochemical noise from the electrode/electrolyte interface is found to be negligible (less than 1 microV peak to peak). On the skin, the noise level is highly dependent on the patient. At high frequencies, the skin/electrode interface noise is equal to 'thermal noise' and can be related to the real part of the skin/electrode impedance. At low frequencies (F < 100 Hz), excess noise is observed that varies as f-2. It is tentatively ascribed to a non-stationary process or noise of electrochemical origin due to the ionic nature of the skin. The contribution of residual EMG signal of low amplitude (5 microV peak to peak) is suggested for electrodes with large surface area.