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Free, publicly-accessible full text available December 26, 2024
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Abstract The increasing demand for minimal to noninvasive in situ analysis of body fluids, such as sweat, interstitial fluid, and tears, has driven rapid development of electrochemically active materials and wearable biosensors. The mechanically soft and deformable nature of these biosensors enables them to efficiently adapt to the geometric nonlinearity of a specific part of the human body. The integration of these biosensors with a fully miniaturized wireless telemetry system enables displaying real-time data in a mobile device and/or reporting to an encrypted server for post analysis. These features are essential for the long-term, unobtrusive monitoring of biochemical activity in ambulatory care settings for improved management of many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, gout, and Parkinson’s disease. Herein, we present the latest innovations of wearable electrochemical sensors tailored for human skin or eyes with a focus on their materials, designs, sensing mechanisms, and clinical implications.
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Abstract Electroretinogram examinations serve as routine clinical procedures in ophthalmology for the diagnosis and management of many ocular diseases. However, the rigid form factor of current corneal sensors produces a mismatch with the soft, curvilinear, and exceptionally sensitive human cornea, which typically requires the use of topical anesthesia and a speculum for pain management and safety. Here we report a design of an all-printed stretchable corneal sensor built on commercially-available disposable soft contact lenses that can intimately and non-invasively interface with the corneal surface of human eyes. The corneal sensor is integrated with soft contact lenses via an electrochemical anchoring mechanism in a seamless manner that ensures its mechanical and chemical reliability. Thus, the resulting device enables the high-fidelity recording of full-field electroretinogram signals in human eyes without the need of topical anesthesia or a speculum. The device, superior to clinical standards in terms of signal quality and comfortability, is expected to address unmet clinical needs in the field of ocular electrodiagnosis.
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Abstract The growing need for the implementation of stretchable biosensors in the body has driven rapid prototyping schemes through the direct ink writing of multidimensional functional architectures. Recent approaches employ biocompatible inks that are dispensable through an automated nozzle injection system. However, their application in medical practices remains challenged in reliable recording due to their viscoelastic nature that yields mechanical and electrical hysteresis under periodic large strains. Herein, we report sponge-like poroelastic silicone composites adaptable for high-precision direct writing of custom-designed stretchable biosensors, which are soft and insensitive to strains. Their unique structural properties yield a robust coupling to living tissues, enabling high-fidelity recording of spatiotemporal electrophysiological activity and real-time ultrasound imaging for visual feedback. In vivo evaluations of custom-fit biosensors in a murine acute myocardial infarction model demonstrate a potential clinical utility in the simultaneous intraoperative recording and imaging on the epicardium, which may guide definitive surgical treatments.
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Abstract The vision system of arthropods consists of a dense array of individual photodetecting elements across a curvilinear surface. This compound‐eye architecture could be a useful model for optoelectronic sensing devices that require a large field of view and high sensitivity to motion. Strategies that aim to mimic the compound‐eye architecture involve integrating photodetector pixels with a curved microlens, but their fabrication on a curvilinear surface is challenged by the use of standard microfabrication processes that are traditionally designed for planar, rigid substrates (e.g., Si wafers). Here, a fractal web design of a hemispherical photodetector array that contains an organic‐dye‐sensitized graphene hybrid composite is reported to serve as an effective photoactive component with enhanced light‐absorbing capabilities. The device is first fabricated on a planar Si wafer at the microscale and then transferred to transparent hemispherical domes with different curvatures in a deterministic manner. The unique structural property of the fractal web design provides protection of the device from damage by effectively tolerating various external loads. Comprehensive experimental and computational studies reveal the essential design features and optoelectronic properties of the device, followed by the evaluation of its utility in the measurement of both the direction and intensity of incident light.