Wearable hydrogel patch with noninvasive, electrochemical glucose sensor for natural sweat detection

Pei-Heng Lin; Sian-Chen Sheu; Chien-Wei Chen; Sheng-Cih Huang; Bor-Ran Li

doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2021.123187

Wearable hydrogel patch with noninvasive, electrochemical glucose sensor for natural sweat detection

Talanta. 2022 May 1:241:123187. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.123187. Epub 2022 Jan 8.

Authors

Pei-Heng Lin¹, Sian-Chen Sheu², Chien-Wei Chen³, Sheng-Cih Huang⁴, Bor-Ran Li⁵

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
² Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
³ Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Taiwan Instrument Research Institute, National Applied Research Laboratories, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Applied Chemistry, College of Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
⁵ Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Center for Emergent Functional Matter Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan. Electronic address: liborran@nycu.edu.tw.

PMID: 35030501
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.123187

Abstract

Recent advances in microelectronics and electrochemical sensing platforms have preceded the development of devices for personal monitoring and managing physiological and metabolic information that exploit sweat as a noninvasive, convenient approach for providing information about underlying health conditions, such as glucose level monitoring. Although most sweat glucose sensors have targeted applications during exercise and other active stimulation induced-sweat, natural sweating offers an attractive alternative with minimal effect on users that can be accessed during routine and sedentary activities without impeding personal lifestyle and preserves the correlation between blood and sweat glucose. Here, we present a noninvasive sweat glucose sensor with convenient hydrogel patches for rapid sampling of natural perspiration without external activities that stimulate sweating. The wearable hydrogel patch rapidly takes up natural sweat from the hand and serves as a medium for electrochemical sensing. A prussian blue-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene nanocomposite (PB-PEDOT NC) electrode provides cost-effective, stable and excellent electrocatalytic activity in sweat glucose measurements. We demonstrated sweat glucose sensor functionality by long-term measurements of glucose in sweat from human subjects consuming food and drinks. By enabling the analysis of sweat glucose during routine and sedentary activities, the sweat glucose sensor shows great promise for clinical-grade glucose management and enlarges the scope of next-generation noninvasive sensing systems.

Keywords: Electrochemical sensor; Natural sweat; PB-PEDOT nanocomposites; Sweat glucose detection.

MeSH terms

Biosensing Techniques*
Glucose
Humans
Hydrogels
Sweat
Sweating
Wearable Electronic Devices*

Substances

Hydrogels
Glucose