The devices with non-invasive characteristics have aroused
people’s
wide concern based on sweat analysis, such as providing real-time
and accurate test of ethanol concentration. Unfortunately, these devices
show limited selectivity, sensitivity, and stability owing to the
existing planar electrodes with sluggish mass transport and inefficient
active site utilization. The Au NW-gel bioelectrode exhibited good
and quick linear current responses toward a broad range of ethanol
concentration from 0.01 to 0.5 M. It was validated to an appreciable
stability and selectivity to ethanol detection in the existences of
sodium chloride, lactic acid, and urea. The abnormal concentration
of ethanol in human’s biofluids is the index of unhealthy conditions
from internal diseases. Herein, we introduce the application of gold
nanowire aerogel (Au NW-gel) in detecting the concentration of ethanol
in simulated human sweat. A preparation method based on substrate-assisted
growth method is introduced. The length of Au NW synthesized by the
substrate-assisted growth method is 10–20 μm. Au NW-gel
has an ultralow density and high gold content, which can reduce the
internal resistance of the electrode sufficiently. The pore structure
of aerogel can accelerate the mass transfer process and make the Au
NW-gel have excellent performance. The linear relationship between
peak current and ethanol concentration in simulated sweat is established,
and the retention capability of the biosensor is more than 83%. Furthermore,
a simulation model is developed to validate the robust mass transfer
and electrochemical performance of the porous electrode. The Au NW-gel-based
electrode provides an effective pathway for detecting the ethanol
content in sweat precisely.