Integrated Smart Janus Textile Bands for Self-Pumping Sweat Sampling and Analysis

ACS Sens. 2020 Jun 26;5(6):1548-1554. doi: 10.1021/acssensors.0c00563. Epub 2020 Jun 4.

Abstract

Wearable sweat sensors have spearheaded the thrust toward personalized health monitoring with continuous, real-time, and molecular-level insight in a noninvasive manner. However, effective sweat sampling still remains a huge challenge. Here, we introduce an intelligent Janus textile band that bridges the gap between self-pumping sweat collection, comfortable epidemic microclimate, and sensitive electrochemical biosensing via an integrated wearable platform. The dominant sweat sampling configuration is a textile with Janus wettability, which is fabricated by electrospinning a hydrophobic polyurethane (PU) nanofiber array onto superhydrophilic gauze. Based on a contact-pumping model, the Janus textile can unidirectionally and thoroughly transport sweat from skin (hydrophobic side) to embedded electrode surface (hydrophilic side) with epidemic comfort. On-body experimentation reveals that the sensitive detection of multiple biomarkers including glucose, lactate, K+, and Na+ is achieved in the pumped sweat. Such smart Janus textile bands can effectively drain epidermal sweat to targeted assay sites via interface modifications, representing a reinforced and controlled biofluids analysis pathway with physiological comfort.

Keywords: Janus textiles; bands; electrochemical detection; sweat; wearable.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biosensing Techniques*
  • Glucose
  • Sweat
  • Textiles
  • Wearable Electronic Devices*

Substances

  • Glucose