Integrated contact lens sensor system based on multifunctional ultrathin MoS2 transistors

Shiqi Guo; Kaijin Wu; Chengpan Li; Hao Wang; Zheng Sun; Dawei Xi; Sheng Zhang; Weiping Ding; Mona E Zaghloul; Changning Wang; Fernando A Castro; Dong Yang; Yunlong Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.matt.2020.12.002

Integrated contact lens sensor system based on multifunctional ultrathin MoS₂ transistors

Matter. 2021 Mar 3;4(3):969-985. doi: 10.1016/j.matt.2020.12.002. Epub 2020 Dec 30.

Authors

Shiqi Guo¹, Kaijin Wu², Chengpan Li³, Hao Wang⁴, Zheng Sun⁵, Dawei Xi¹, Sheng Zhang⁶, Weiping Ding³, Mona E Zaghloul⁵, Changning Wang⁴, Fernando A Castro^{7

8}, Dong Yang⁴, Yunlong Zhao^{7

8}

Affiliations

¹ John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Modern Mechanics, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
³ Department of Electronic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
⁴ Athioula A. Martins Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
⁵ School of Engineering and Applied Science, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
⁶ Ningbo Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, Ningbo 315100, China.
⁷ Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK.
⁸ National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, UK.

Abstract

Smart contact lenses attract extensive interests due to their capability of directly monitoring physiological and ambient information. However, previous demonstrations usually lacked efficient sensor modalities, facile fabrication process, mechanical stability, or biocompatibility. Here, we demonstrate a flexible approach for fabrication of multifunctional smart contact lenses with an ultrathin MoS₂ transistors-based serpentine mesh sensor system. The integrated sensor systems contain a photodetector for receiving optical information, a glucose sensor for monitoring glucose level directly from tear fluid, and a temperature sensor for diagnosing potential corneal disease. Unlike traditional sensors and circuit chips sandwiched in the lens substrate, this serpentine mesh sensor system can be directly mounted onto the lenses and maintain direct contact with tears, delivering high detection sensitivity, while being mechanically robust and not interfering with either blinking or vision. Furthermore, the in vitro cytotoxicity tests reveal good biocompatibility, thus holding promise as next-generation soft electronics for healthcare and medical applications.

Keywords: 2D semiconductor materials; flexible and wearable devices; glucose sensing; integrated sensor systems; molybdenum disulphide; photodetection; smart contact lens; soft bioelectronics; temperature monitoring.