Smart Wearable Nanopaper Patch for Continuous Multiplexed Optical Monitoring of Sweat Parameters

Abstract

Notwithstanding the substantial progress in optical wearable sensing devices, developing wearable optical sensors for simultaneous, real-time, and continuous monitoring of multiple biomarkers is still an important, yet unmet, demand. Aiming to address this need, we introduced for the first time a smart wearable optical sensor (SWOS) platform combining a multiplexed sweat sensor sticker with its IoT-enabled readout module. We employed our SWOS system for on-body continuous, real-time, and simultaneous fluorimetric monitoring of sweat volume (physical parameter) and pH (chemical marker). Herein, a variation in moisture (5−45 μL) or pH (4.0−7.0) causes a color/fluorescence change in the copper chloride/fluorescein immobilized within a transparent chitin nanopaper (ChNP) in a selective and reversible manner. Human experiments conducted on athletic volunteers during exercise confirm that our developed SWOS platform can be efficiently exploited for smart perspiration analysis toward personalized health monitoring. Moreover, our system can be further extended for the continuous and real-time multiplexed monitoring of various biomarkers (metabolites, proteins, or drugs) of sweat or other biofluids (for example, analyzing exhaled breath by integrating onto a facemask).

Nanoscale materials at work: Mapping emerging applications in energy, medicine, and beyond

“…Examples include journal publications describing the use of cellulose in electrochemical, 501 flexible strain 502 and chemosensors 503 often as nanofibers and in combination with other materials (including synthetic polymers) used for applications such as health monitoring, 504 heavy metal detection 503 and in the food industry 505 amongst others. The use of chitosan has been explored in sensors across several biomedical applications including in wearable sensors for health monitoring 506,507 including continuous monitoring of the neurotransmitter serotonin considered a biomarker for depression. 508 Often chitosan is used in conjunction with other materials in the fabrication of these sensors including synthetic polymers such as polyaziridne 509 Among emerging polymers, synthetic polymers tend to outnumber natural polymers with cellulose and chitosan being the only natural polymers featured in the top 15 for both journal and patent publications (Figure 23).…”

Synergizing Nanomaterials and Artificial Intelligence in Advanced Optical Biosensors for Precision Antimicrobial Resistance Diagnosis

“…Real-time, portable, on-site detection capabilities eliminate the need for sample transfer and reduce processing time. The accuracy and efficiency of AMR diagnostics improved by combining AI with optical biosensors for more in-depth data processing and pattern identification. − However, although encouraging outcomes have been shown in research settings, more validation through rigorous clinical trials is required to evaluate these intelligent sensing systems’ clinical value and dependability. In addition, many studies have used single-piece POC diagnostic systems based on CRISPR to diagnose human diseases and antimicrobials. − …”