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Measured Electrical Properties of Skin Using a Homemade Electrode: Preliminary Results

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XXVI Brazilian Congress on Biomedical Engineering

Part of the book series: IFMBE Proceedings ((IFMBE,volume 70/2))

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Abstract

The dielectric properties of dry and wet palmar skin of the hand are presented here. The knowledge of these properties especially at frequencies below 100 Hz is important for dosimetry purposes. However, there are few empirical data available at these frequencies and they are contradictory. Electrodes made of carbon fibers were fabricated. They are concentric with an inner electrode and an outer ring one. Impedance measurements were collected from 1 Hz to 1 MHz on wet and dry palmar skin of the hand, then permittivity and conductivity were calculated. Permittivity values ranged from 1,912 to 6.6 × 106 and from 2,358 to 34.4 × 106 for dry and wet skin, respectively. Conductivity values ranged from 0.36 to 0.1 mS/m and from 2.4 to 0.13 mS/m for dry and wet skin, respectively. It was demonstrated that in the palm, the conductivity of the skin is higher and the permittivity much higher compared to the data given in the literature. This finding might be of interest because it increases the knowledge about skin dielectric properties importance when estimating the effects of low-frequency electromagnetic field exposure.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financed by the “Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior” (CAPES) and institutionally supported by the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC).

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Correspondence to P. Bertemes-Filho .

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Brunnquell, S., Bertemes-Filho, P. (2019). Measured Electrical Properties of Skin Using a Homemade Electrode: Preliminary Results. In: Costa-Felix, R., Machado, J., Alvarenga, A. (eds) XXVI Brazilian Congress on Biomedical Engineering. IFMBE Proceedings, vol 70/2. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2517-5_108

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2517-5_108

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

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  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-2517-5

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