Stretchable and Smart Wettable Sensing Patch with Guided Liquid Flow for Multiplexed in Situ Perspiration Analysis

• Published in: ACS nano 2024-01, Vol.18 (3), p.2335-2345
• Main Authors: Sun, Yuping, Wang, Jianhui, Lu, Qianying, Fang, Ting, Wang, Shaolei, Yang, Cheng, Lin, Yong, Wang, Qian, Lu, Yan-qing, Kong, Desheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1936-0851; 1936-086X
• DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c10324

Stretchable sweat sensors have become a personalized wearable platform for continuous, noninvasive health monitoring through conformal integration with the human body. Typically, these devices are coupled with soft microfluidic systems to control sweat flow during advanced analysis processes. However, the implementation of these soft microfluidic devices is limited by their high fabrication costs and the need for skin adhesives to block natural perspiration. To overcome these limitations, a stretchable and smart wettable patch has been proposed for multiplexed in situ perspiration analysis. The patch includes a porous membrane in the form of a patterned microfoam and a nanofiber layer laminate, which extracts sweat selectively from the skin and directs its continuous flow across the device. The integrated electrochemical sensor array measures multiple biomarkers simultaneously such as pH, K+, and Na+. The soft sensing patch comprises compliant materials and structures that allow deformability of up to 50% strain, which enables a stable and seamless interface with the curvilinear human body. During continuous physical exercise, the device has demonstrated a special operating mode by actively accumulating sweat from the skin for multiplex electrochemical analysis of biomarker profiles. The smart wettable membrane provides an affordable solution to address the sampling challenges of in situ perspiration analysis.