Smartphone-Addressable 3D-Printed Electrochemical Ring for Nonenzymatic Self-Monitoring of Glucose in Human Sweat
Vassiliki Katseli, Anastasios Economou, Christos Kokkinos
Abstract
Nowadays, there is increased demand for wearable sensors for sweat glucose monitoring in order to facilitate diabetes management in a patient-friendly and noninvasive manner. This work describes a wearable glucose monitoring device in the form of an electrochemical ring (e-ring) fabricated by 3D printing. The 3D-printed e-ring consists of three carbon-based plastic electrodes (fabricated using a conductive filament) integrated at the inner side of a ring-shaped flexible plastic holder (fabricated using a nonconductive filament). The e-ring is modified with an electrodeposited gold film and is coupled to a miniature potentiostat directly addressable by a smartphone, offering the possibility for nonenzymatic amperometric self-testing of glucose levels in human sweat. Optical and electrochemical techniques are employed for the characterization of the e-ring. The device is resistant to mechanical bending and enables noninvasive glucose detection in sweat in the physiologically relevant concentration range of 12.5–400 μmol L–1 without interference from common electroactive metabolites. The 3D-printed e-ring bridges the gap between the existing fabrication/sensing technologies and the desired operational features for glucose self-monitoring and may be employed as a paradigm of in-house fabricated wearable sensors.