Sweat it out: Novel wearable biosensor for monitoring sweat electrolytes
for use in healthcare and sports
The device transmits measurements wirelessly and can be seamlessly
applied to the outer surface of textiles

Date:
July 6, 2023
Source:
Tokyo University of Science
Summary:
Wearable sensors are becoming a promising tool in personalized
healthcare and exercise monitoring. In a recent study, researchers
develop a novel wearable chemical sensor capable of measuring the
concentration of chloride ions in sweat. By using a heat-transfer
printing technique, the proposed sensor can be applied to the
outer surface of common textiles to prevent skin irritation and
allergies, and could also be useful in the early detection of heat
stroke and dehydration.


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FULL STORY ========================================================================== Wearable sensors are becoming a promising tool in personalized healthcare
and exercise monitoring. In a recent study, researchers from Japan develop
a novel wearable chemical sensor capable of measuring the concentration
of chloride ions in sweat. By using a heat-transfer printing technique,
the proposed sensor can be applied to the outer surface of common textiles
to prevent skin irritation and allergies, and could also be useful in
the early detection of heat stroke and dehydration.

The remarkable level of miniaturization possible in modern electronics
has paved the way for realizing healthcare devices previously confined to
the realm of science fiction. Wearable sensors are a prominent example of
this. As the name suggests, these devices are worn on the body, usually directly on the skin. They can monitor important bodily parameters,
including heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle activity.

Some wearable sensors can also detect chemicals in bodily fluids. For
instance, sweat biosensors can measure the concentration of ions in sweat, providing information on their levels in blood. However, designing such chemical sensors is more complex than physical sensors. Direct contact
between a wearable chemical sensor and skin can cause irritation and
allergies. In contrast, if the sensor is fabricated directly on a wearable textile, its accuracy decreases due to surface irregularities.

In a recent study, a research team, led by Associate Professor
Isao Shitanda of the Tokyo University of Science (TUS) in Japan, has
developed an innovative sweat biosensor that addresses the aforementioned problems. Their work,published online in ACS Sensors on June 15, 2023, describes the use of a technique called "heat-transfer printing" to
fix a thin, flexible chloride ion sensor onto a textile substrate. The
study was co-authored by Dr. Masahiro Motosuke, Dr. Tatsunori Suzuki,
Dr. Shinya Yanagita, and Dr. Takahiro Mukaimoto of TUS.

"The proposed sensor can be transferred to fiber substrates, and thus can
be incorporated into textiles such as T-shirts, wristbands, and insoles," explains Dr. Shitanda. "Further, health indicators such as chloride
ion concentration in sweat can be measured by simply wearing them."
The heat-transfer printing approach offers several advantages. For one
thing, the sensor is transferred outside of the piece of clothing, which prevents skin irritation. In addition, the wicking effect of the textile
helps spread the sweat evenly between the electrodes of the sensor,
creating a stable electrical contact. Moreover, printing the sensor on a
flat surface and then transferring it prevents the formation of blurred
edges that commonly occur when printing directly onto a textile.

The researchers carefully selected the materials and electrochemical
mechanisms of the sensor to avoid risking an allergic reaction for the
wearer. After developing the sensor, they conducted various experiments
using artificial sweat to verify its accuracy in measuring chloride ion concentration. The change in the electromotive force of the sensor was
-59.5 mTV/log CCl-.

Additionally, it displayed a Nernst response and a linear relationship
with the concentration range of chloride ions in human sweat. Moreover,
no other ions or substances typically present in sweat were found to
interfere with the measurements.

Lastly, the team tested the sensor on a volunteer who exercised on a
static bicycle for 30 minutes, by measuring their perspiration rate,
chloride ion levels in blood, and saliva osmolality every five minutes
to compare with the data previously gathered by the sensor. The proposed wearable sensor could reliably measure the concentration of chloride
ions in sweat.

The sensor can also transmit data wirelessly, making it useful for
real-time health monitoring. "Since chloride is the most abundant
electrolyte in human sweat, measuring its concentration provides an
excellent indicator of the body's electrolyte balance and a useful tool
for the diagnosis and prevention of heat stroke," remarks Dr. Shitanda.

This research thus demonstrates the potential of using wearable ion
sensors for the real-time monitoring of sweat biomarkers, facilitating personalized healthcare development and athlete training management.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Today's_Healthcare # Skin_Care # Heart_Disease # Fitness
o Matter_&_Energy
# Wearable_Technology # Detectors # Thermodynamics #
Textiles_and_Clothing
* RELATED_TERMS
o Hyperthermia o Combustion o Mass_spectrometry o Sweating o
Firestorm o Heat o Fire_fighting o Anaerobic_exercise

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========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Isao Shitanda, Naoki Muramatsu, Rio Kimura, Nanami Takahashi, Kazuki
Watanabe, Hiroyuki Matsui, Noya Loew, Masahiro Motosuke, Takahiro
Mukaimoto, Momoko Kobayashi, Taketo Mitsuhara, Yamato Sugita,
Kensuke Matsuo, Shinya Yanagita, Tatsunori Suzuki, Hikari Watanabe,
Masayuki Itagaki. Wearable Ion Sensors for the Detection of Sweat
Ions Fabricated by Heat-Transfer Printing. ACS Sensors, 2023; DOI:
10.1021/ acssensors.3c01027 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230706124552.htm

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