Nicotine, an addictive substance in tobacco products and electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), is recognized for increasing the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. Careful real-time monitoring of nicotine exposure is critical in alleviating the potential health impacts of not just smokers but also those exposed to second-hand and third-hand smoke. Monitoring of nicotine requires suitable sensing material to detect nicotine selectively and testing under free-living conditions in the standard environment. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a vanadium dioxide (VO2)-based nicotine sensor and explain its conductometric mechanisms with compositional analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. For real-time monitoring of nicotine vapor from e-cigarettes in the air, the sensor is integrated with an epidermal near-field communication (NFC) interface that enables battery-free operation and data transmission to smart electronic devices to record and store sensor data. Collectively, the technique of sensor development and integration expands the use of wearable electronics for real-time monitoring of hazardous elements in the environment and biosignals wirelessly.
Keywords: battery-free electronics; nicotine sensor; vanadium oxide; wearable device; wireless communication.